Profit Tracker
Cattle feeding margins decline even as fed steers trade steady to higher for the week. Packer margins erode on weaker wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins improve but remain underwater.
Projected breakevens for cattle placed on feed have declined $10 per cwt. over the past month. Pork producer margins are declining even with feed costs 23% lower than last year.
Cattle feeding margins saw a $30 per head improvement with higher cash prices and lower feed costs. Pork producer margins decline as prices soften.
Cattle feeding margins improved modestly last week after cash bids rallied nearly $2 higher. Pork producer margins remain in red.
Cattle feeding margins remain solidly profitable and supported by significant declines in feed costs. Pork producer margins erode.
Reducing slaughter and putting less beef tonnage on the market has helped beef packers regain some profit margin. Pork producer margins decline.
After six weeks running in the red, beef packers jumped back into positive margins after last week’s wholesale beef rally. Pork producers remain profitable.
The spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins narrowed modestly last week. Pork producers remain profitable.
Cattle feeders continue to gain market leverage as packers see pressure from declining wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins remain solidly in the black.
Packers have reduced harvest and employed other tactics in an effort to regain positive margins. Pork producer margins took another step higher as lean carcass prices advance.
The spread between cattle feeding margins and beef packer margins has now reached $500 per head as packing losses increase. Pork producer margins are the highest of the year.
There’s a $400 spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins – now in the cowboy’s favor. Cattle harvest is lower as packers reduce hours, a signal their margins are in the red.
A year after the pandemic disrupted the hog industry and left producers facing financial ruin, operators are now experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime rally as farrow-to-finish margins climbed another $7 per head last week.
Farrow-to-finish pork producers earned $28 profit per hog last week, a $3 per head decline from the previous week. A month ago farrow-to-finish pork producers showed a loss of about $2 per head.
Cattle feeding margins declined despite cash prices that were steady across all regions. Packer margins improved with higher beef cutout prices.
Average feedyard closeouts improved last week as cash prices inched modestly higher.
Average feedyard closeouts continued to show solid profits on cattle marketed the final week of March.
Profit margins for cattle sold for slaughter last week declined $55 per head, according to the Sterling Profit Tracker.
Cattle feeding margins improved $16 per head last week as cash prices inched higher less than $1 per cwt.
Cattle feeding margins declined by $80 per head last week as cash prices slumped $1 to $2 per cwt.
A $3 per cwt retreat in cash cattle prices pushed cattle feeding margins $67 per head lower.
Cattle feeding margins improved $43 per head last week as cash prices gained nearly $2 per cwt.
Cattle feeding margins improved $57 per head last week, due primarily to lower prices paid for incoming feeder cattle against last week’s marketings.
Cash cattle prices $3 to $4 lower means cattle feeding margins declined another $33 per head last week.
Cattle feeding margins are rapidly declining as cash cattle prices retreat from spring highs
Both cattle feeding and packer margins improved last week, even as cash fed cattle prices dipped another $1 per cwt.
Profits continue to increase for both cattle and hog producers.
Cattle feeders’ profits last week were $271 per head more than at the same time last year when $114 per head losses were recorded.
Cattle feeding margins jumped nearly $20 per head higher last week to average $216.
Profit margins for both beef and pork producers fell slightly last week, yet both sectors remain solidly profitable.