Feedyard gross margin (fed steer less yearling steer) in 1996 averaged about $350/head, while total yearling steer investment was just slightly over $450/head. That gap has consistently (and unfavorably) widened ever since. Gross margin in 2012 was only about $60-65 more compared to the 1996 mark, but the investment required to obtain that margin has surged nearly 10 times that amount, as yearling steer costs have jumped $665 to average $1,125/head in 2012....More

The average estimate heading into Friday’s monthly Cattle on Feed report was for placements to be down about 9%. Instead, placements (1.48 million head) were down a staggering 14%. Of those, 60% weighed 700 lbs. or more....More

“Extremely tight supplies of available feeder cattle could no longer hold the inflated market levels as feedlot managers struggle to sell fed cattle and packers struggle to sell the finished product despite a considerably reduced harvest schedule,” explained analysts with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Friday. “Even lightweight stocker cattle and calves that previously appeared resistant to bearish signals fell victim to the down market.”...More

Carcass weights, and therefore retail cuts of beef, have been steadily increasing as the market sends signals for more efficiency and more pounds. Yet, consumers say they want smaller steaks. Is that polarity solvable? Yes, and the industry is searching and adopting new fabrication techniques to address the issue....More

A recent study by Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute indicated that most Kansas feedlots are handling cattle in a low stress, humane manner and have protocols in place designed to ensure beef safety....More