Sort & Cull

Understanding how the holidays can pressure the marketplace is vital and it's important to keep in perspective what's true market data and facts, and what are just holiday jitters affecting the market.

With plenty of unknowns already developing for 2021 to answer, cattlemen and feedlots alike cannot afford to let today's opportunity pass them by.

Soon we will prepare for tax season and print off those profit/loss summaries and expense sheets that can been brutally painful. However, instead of avoiding them, it's time to dive into the fine details and see where changes can be made.

Within the last three weeks, the bred cow market has turned ripe for a buying excursion.

Until the election is officially over and it's clear who our new president will be for the next four years, it won't be surprising to see the market hesitate like the rest of America is doing.

Following last week's lower prices and heightened pressure, the cattle industry aims to find footing amid an uncertain and distressed time.

Total open interest in live cattle futures has tumbled lower throughout October. Following slow but steady gains from May through September, traders are quickly liquidating positions, further pressuring live cattle futures. Sustained price support needs active and strong trader...

The problem with such vast limits is that the market is volatile day in and day out regardless of what's happening fundamentally. Producers can be attuned to the market's happenings and the dynamics of outside factors, but with the market's new platform, cattle contracts sit...

There would be no argument in saying that the basis for a strong and successful beef industry starts with the cow herd. But cow slaughter numbers are just as important to beef production as a stringent reproductive and nutrition program.

Drought conditions and the cost of carrying calves over into a different market can be so burdensome that producers are left with no other choice but to send their calves to town and let the market be what it is. But adversely, rising corn prices put the skids on buyers as...

The hours put into raising calves to their market date is exponential and too often producers get caught in the trap of doing things as they always have done and miss potential profits that could have been gained from new opportunities or marketing avenues.

When the cattle marketing system is altered from historical patterns, producers will see unusual marketing for a long time.

A trip through our great nation makes one realize just how vast and wide reaching the cattle industry really is. When state beef cattle totals are broken down, it becomes very clear that the beef industry is a nationwide endeavor.

Heading into this week, and seeing what potential opportunities could be around the corner, feedlots could have another opportunity to rally the cash cattle market.

As hard as it may be, we must separate ourselves, our operations and our assets from the emotional roller coaster of the marketplace.

Feeder cattle prices have rallied significantly over the past four months and currently remain above year-ago levels, but markets remain at significantly below-average levels, creating concern of continued low prices.

Until mid-October, cattle contracts tend to retract and withdraw as boxed beef prices fall, and cash cattle prices weaken. But for cow-calf producers preparing to sell calves later this fall, stay attuned to the market to avoid playing catch-up down the road.

The traditional way to summarize the USDA Cattle on Feed report -- and many reports -- is to measure percentage change from the previous year. This works well when markets follow normal seasonal patterns, but changing market patterns limit the reliability of this metric.

Given the spring's uncertainty, producers didn't want to market their calves and feeders in the hype of the COVID-19 pandemic and risk volatile prices. But as time has progressed, feeders are pouring into feedlots as the market has gotten stronger.

The market's ability to rally over the last two months has surprised most, but many wonder how the market will fare after Labor Day.