Feedyard
Beef packer leverage is evident with cash cattle prices $7 per cwt. lower than the same week a year ago and beef cutout prices $23 per cwt. higher. Pork producers are gaining leverage with a $5 per cwt. price rally.
Cattle feeding margins were little changed from the previous week with modest profits. Hog feeding margins were boosted for a third week with another advance in lean carcass prices.
The area was hit especially hard by historic rains on Friday. It is home to several feedyards, with owners and operators trying to assess the number of cows lost due to flood waters rising so quickly.
Oklahoma State University meat scientist Gretchen Mafi has studied the scientific differences between beef that comes from animals finished on a grain diet versus those animals finished on grass.
Cash cattle markets traded modestly lower in another week of lackluster activity. Northern regions experienced adverse weather conditions added stress to cattle and reduced weights.
Cash cattle trade was called active with packers seeking to add inventory. Retailer buying was also active as they anticipate a seasonal slowdown in supplies.
The House Ag Committee passed the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021 by unanimous vote on Thursday. Supporters say the act would give greater transparency to cattle markets and more leverage to producers.
Did High Heat And Humidity Really Cause Cattle Deaths In Kansas? The Latest Look at Potential Losses
Feedyards battled through the intense conditions to keep their cattle safe this week. The heat and humidity proved devastating, and estimates point to western Kansas feedlots seeing losses of 100 to 500 head per day.
With the extreme heat in cattle feeding areas there have been reports of death losses.
Cash cattle saw average prices move slightly higher for the week while CME futures tumbled lower. USDA’s reported cattle on feed February 1 inventory was the highest for that month in the series going back to 1996.