Sort & Cull

As traders, cattlemen and everyone in between head into this week's market, we expect pressure to again be the theme early in the week. Unfortunately, it could remain the market's tone until seasonal boxed beef demand perks up.

Cattle futures have been under stiff pressure the last month, but is there a possibility last Friday's Cattle on Feed report could help turn the market higher?

Seeing the markets plummet well over $10 in a matter of 10 short days makes us wish we had a crystal ball to guide us and offer some peace of mind about the cattle market. Now's the time to set targets and create an action plan.

Without the rallying nature of the cash cattle complex to help traders along, how much upward potential does the futures complex possess for the near term?

News travels fast and people react most of the time in a negative way. Will the cattle complex again find its footing?

Follow along as DTN shows what life is like on a New Mexico family ranch for a year through its upcoming View From the Range series.

Given the continued ban of Mexican cattle imports into the United States, logically the data aligns perfectly with what's happening in the market.

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land increased from 2022 to 2023, led primarily by the expansion of land use for renewable energy by foreign entities. In 2023, 21.9 million acres of reported foreign-held agricultural land was forestland, followed by 13.2 million acres of...

We all know at some point packers will gather enough cattle for the market, causing this incredible rally to cool down. But I'm personally not convinced packers have enough supply purchased just yet.

APHIS confirmed on Friday that live cattle imports from Mexico to the U.S. are still at a standstill due to Mexican veterinary officials finding New World screwworm in a cow in southern Mexico in November 2024.

Last week the fed cash cattle market scored new all-time highs yet again; but with packers still short on inventory and beef demand strong, everyone is wondering: How much higher will the market trade this week?

Packers drastically cut last week's throughput in an attempt to regain some footing in the market as strong cash cattle prices have weakened their margins.

Given that it's the week of Christmas, it's unlikely that anything significant will develop in the market. Traders will enjoy the shorter week, and packers will run lighter kill schedules.

The live cattle and fed cash cattle markets have been on fire lately; but with the Christmas and New Year holidays looming, the market's relentless rally may be paused until after the New Year.

Love them or hate them, participants other than those directly involved with a commodity use futures markets for various purposes. DTN Contributing Canadian Grains Analyst Mitch Miller believes it's better to know as much as you can about the elephants you're dancing with.

The market resistance at $260 is substantial, but so is the cattle market's rally and power right now. If all the stars continue to align, the resistance at $260 isn't unbearable.

The restriction of Mexican cattle imports into the United States, following the detection of a cow in Mexico with New World screwworm, is likely to drive feeder cattle prices sharply higher in the near term.

If the analysts who believe Nov. 1 cattle on feed numbers could be 101.3% of a year ago are correct, that could push total numbers above 12 million head, which has only happened 14 times since 2019.

Traders have eagerly supported the cattle contracts lately, but with the fed cattle market's lethargic fundamentals and a Cattle on Feed Report set to be released Friday, trader support could be harder to come by later this week.

While it may seem logical that after a week of thin movement in the cash cattle market, prices would trade higher the following week as packers need to ensure that they're not short bought, there's more at play for the market to manage than just fed cattle prices.