Monthly Archives: April 2024

Date: April 29, 2024 Livestock futures mixed again on Friday and for the week with cattle higher but lean hogs lower. Cash fed cattle trade reported steady in TX and KS compared to the week previous at $182 to $183 live. Northern trade at $2 to $3 higher, $185 live and $295 dressed, helped spur the late week rally. There were some additional disturbing stories last week about the Avian Flu in U.S. dairies but at least the live cattle and feeder markets were able to ignore the banter and hold solid 2 week higher trends. Bearish fundamental updates midweek from weekly export sales to cold storage along with lower cash values provided the pressure on lean hogs. Weekly closes for livestock futures and meats…April…

Date: April 26, 2024 Mixed day for livestock futures on Thursday with cattle triple digits higher and hogs triple digits lower. Not all, but most lean hog contracts gapped lower on the open from a bearish cold storage report and disappointing weekly export sales. Pork belly stocks surged higher last month and hams stocks only declined slightly. The 28,800 MT of net sales were down 32% from the week previous and down 25% from the 4 week average. It wasn’t that long ago that we averaged nearly twice that amount and exports were still friendly at 40K MT. Cattle futures did open lower but it wasn’t long before aggressive buying turned things around. Cash trade in the North helped spur the rally with $2 to…

Date: April 15, 2024 Livestock futures all in the red last Friday with nearby contracts steady to higher week over week but all deferred contracts finishing lower for the week. Lean hogs hit new highs midweek as cattle hit new recent lows again on Friday. Inflation continues to keep some pressure on the markets along with the spread of Bovine Influenza A in U.S dairies. Beef and pork prices continued higher for the week, but cash prices pulled back some. Cash feedlot trade dropping another $2 to $4 with TX and KS trade at $182 live and trade in NE and IA $184 to $185 live and $293 to $295 dressed. Weekly closes for livestock futures and meats…April Live Cattle +$.65, June -$.57, April Feeder…

Date: April 10, 2024 Cattle futures posted strong triple digit gains on Tuesday, most contracts higher for the second day in a row. New recent lows were hit last Friday after updates on more cases of Avian flu in U.S. dairies. No new news since which is good news, although the markets are still very cautious to add back the sharp losses over the past couple weeks. No cash feedlot trade yet this week but beef prices have firmed with Choice back above the $300 level. Lean hogs continue to make new highs supported by higher cash and pork values. Joplin Regional Stockyards Feeder Cattle - Carthage, MO Livestock Weighted Average Report for 4/8/2024 - Final Total Receipts: 6,619 Last Week: 5,431 Last Year: 8,248…

Date: April 3, 2024 Cattle futures were able to regain a portion of Monday’s sharp losses, while lean hogs continue to chop sideways. Cash feedlot trade still yet to develop this week. Salebarns are still seeing good volume, especially from KS north as grass cattle buyers are still in the market. The biggest price driver for the futures market continues to be related to avian flu. The reported positive samples in unpasteurized milk samples last week rocked the markets for few days. Monday’s news that sent fats and feeders $5 to $7 lower was that an employee at one of the TX dairies tested positive for same flu strain. He was being treated with only minor eye irritation and this strain is not spreading within…