Latest News From Livestock Markets

Global meat consumption will decline as inflation squeezes consumer spending because of the Ukraine-Russian War, says Rupert Claxton, livestock and met director at Gira.

Colin Woodall, NCBA CEO, says the DOJ has an “obligation” to provide full transparency and finish the investigation to give cattle producers the full scope of the issue.

A new USDA Market News Mobile Application will provide the supply chain with instant access to current and historical market information, including over 800 livestock, poultry, and grain reports.

Dr. Pat Westhoff joins AgriTalk’s Chip Flory to share his spin on the latest trends in crop markets, livestock outlooks and projections for net farm income.

The Chinese pork industry has been transforming — with the shift from backyard farms to megafarms — ASF accelerated the change.

Smithfield Foods said on Wednesday it will pay $83 million to settle litigation that accused several companies of conspiring to limit supply in the U.S. pork market to inflate prices and their own profits.

Although the rising price of U.S. hogs is impacted by the African swine fever setbacks China is experiencing in their hog herd, experts say it’s not the primary driver why prices are soaring in the U.S.

Driven by higher estimates for pork, the China total meat import forecasts were revised up for both 2020 and 2021, according to the USDA Livestock and Poultry World Markets and Trade report.

Several plants have been suspended in Brazil but only one has in the U.S., where more than 16,000 meatpacking workers in dozens of plants have been infected with coronavirus.

Nationwide, 30% to 50% of meatpacking employees were absent last week, said Mark Lauritsen, a vice president at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Ethanol plants and DDG facilities closing is a hit to the livestock industry. This is as some producers begin to switch feed rations based on price, availability and in an effort to keep weights from getting too high.

Plunging sales and plant closures are all creating a crisis right now for the pork industry. Hogs are stacking up on farms with farmers scrambling to find places to process them as the value per hog plummets.

Plants which have closed are trying to reroute loads. The industry says many plants were already at capacity, which created a larger problem. Some producers share their stories.

The Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls announced it was closing until further notice. As of Tuesday, 438 total workers have tested positive with COVID-19. That’s an increase of nearly 100 overnight.

The ripple effects of Smithfield Foods’ processing plant in Sioux Falls will have far-reaching effects on the industry, leaders in some of the top pork-producing states say.

The latest Sterling Profit Tracker shows Farrow-to-finish pork producers saw their margins decline last week. A year ago, pork producers earned 40-dollars per head. Pork packers saw average profits of $14 per head.

The hog herd is expanding. That’s according to the USDA Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report. Numbers are increasing in all categories compared to one year ago. How expansion continues amid COVID-19 is anyone’s guess.

Tyson Foods Inc. delivered a mixed bag of quarterly results while retaining an upbeat global meat outlook based on China’s efforts to fill a protein gap because of African swine fever and easing trade tensions.

Lean hog contracts closed in the red after Friday’s trading session. However, some analysts say the near-term story for the hog market is bearish.

Most lean hog contracts traded in the red Wednesday. However, most producers look at two different stories to figure out price. One analyst says to look at the domestic herd too.

“We are far from the end of this,” says Arlan Suderman of INTL FC Stone. Those are the words many in the lindustry wonder when it comes to the hogs and African swine fever (ASF).

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 58,350 head being reported which is 129 percent of the 52-week average.

African swine fever could hurt protein markets for years

China is continuing to buy U.S. pork. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reporting weekly export sales for pork at a marketing year high thanks to China. Click on the link to learn more.

Cash-traded weaner pig reported volume was above average this past week, with 53,200 head reported.

Export values increased 34% to $623.3 million.

While there are many factors at play, improving exports and packer competition are driving prices higher.

Clinton Griffiths, host of AgDay, talks with Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk and a Farm Journal economist about the livestock market. Should livestock producers act on these corn prices?

Farmers are likely to absorb more costs of retaliatory tariffs as U.S. bargaining power shifts in global commodity markets, CoBank says.

Third-quarter commercial pork production is forecast at almost 6.8 billion pounds, more than 7% higher than a year ago, according to the August Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook.

Cash-traded weaner pig reported volume was above average this past week, with 65,905 head reported. Cash weaner pig reported prices were $21.89, up $1.89 per head from last week.

Sources on the ground in China claim the losses are closer to 45% year-on-year.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures dropped to a five-month low on Thursday. Traders said big supplies dashed any hope from the news that China made its biggest purchase of U.S. pork in seven weeks.

National Pork Producers Council President David Herring, a pork producer from Lillington, N.C., testified this morning before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

The profit potential decreased $3.77 this week to a projected gain of $8.86 per head.

As crop farmers debated the July World Agricultural Supply and Demands Estimates (WASDE) report, livestock producers anxiously watched for changes in the 2019 red meat and poultry production forecast.

Which agricultural commodity traders will benefit from African swine fever's impact on the markets? Take a look at where the company's assets are located, experts say.

Looking at hog sales in December 2019 using December 2019 futures the weaner breakeven was $58.60, up $0.76 for the week.

Shares in meat companies like Tyson Foods Inc. and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. have been rallying. Now a spike in corn and soybean prices is fueling the biggest selloff of the year.

Cash-traded weaner pig reported volume was below average this past week, with 16,975 head reported. Cash weaner pig reported prices were $52.47, down $3.06 per head from last week.

Grilling season is here and Memorial Day marks one of the biggest meat consumption weekends of the year. Chicken has been the champion protein in recent weeks, with restaurants driving much of the demand.

China made its second-largest purchase of U.S. pork this week. Rabobank says China will need to continue to source protein from the U.S., as the list of countries able to export is short.

Cash traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 40,500 head being reported which is 103 percent of the 52-week average. Feeder pig reported volume was below average for the week, with 7,705 head reported.

Livestock farmers are facing a combination of headwinds and tailwinds—as well as a lot of unknowns.

Washington County, Iowa is a large pork producing state. Any disruption like the risk of African Swine Fever on U.S. soil would be a crisis for producers and their communities. AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben has the story from Washington County, Iowa.

Washington County, Iowa is a large pork producing state. Any disruption like the risk of African Swine Fever on U.S. soil would be a crisis for producers and their communities. AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben has the story from Washington County, Iowa.

Cash traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 50,115 head being reported which is 132 percent of the 52-week average.

Cash traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 50,115 head being reported which is 132 percent of the 52-week average.

Looking at hog sales in September 2019 using October 2019 futures the weaner breakeven was $44.40, down $13.44 for the week.

Looking at hog sales in September 2019 using October 2019 futures the weaner breakeven was $44.40, down $13.44 for the week.