Packer
Farmshare helps connect producers more directly with end buyers in the market by way of independent processing facilities.
Firefighters were dispatched to National Beef’s 6,000-head per day facility in Liberal, Kansas, Wednesday evening.
Working off a big trade the previous week and slowed production, packers were reluctant to purchase cattle but the futures market took a dip and buyers stepped in at steady money and gathered inventory.
Eight beef packing projects are in various stages of completion that could add 10% to total industry capacity; is it needed? What potential headwinds might these ventures face?
Cash fed cattle prices ended last week $10 per cwt. lower than last year while the beef cutout closed $16 higher than the same week a year ago. The result? Packer margins $314 per head more than last year.
Profit margins for both cattle and hog finishing operations saw modest gains last week but also carry significantly higher feed costs than a year ago.
The pendulum continues swinging toward cattle feeders as cash prices jumped $3 last week and left packers with their largest negative margins in nearly six years.
Cattle feeding margins declined last week after modest declines in cash cattle prices. Pork producer margins remain underwater.
Judas goats? One of history’s last slaughterhouse witnesses to the bizarre Judas goat spectacle recalls the death parade to the killing floor.
Tyson Foods gave its chicken suppliers two months’ notice of its plan to shut a Virginia processing plant in May, raising concerns among farmers and legal experts about Tyson’s compliance with antitrust regulations.