The success of the super center concept hasn’t gone unnoticed in the food world, and thus explains the format’s domination of growth during the past six years. A number of competitors are increasingly trying to introduce similar formats, including Target and K-Mart, while even traditional grocers are expanding their product offering to more closely mimic the super center concept....More

Since December the fed cattle market has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 and is now about 15% ahead of the broader stock market index. It’s somewhat surprising that beef values and fed cattle prices have been able to outpace the broader economy – especially in an era of high unemployment and relatively weak consumer confidence....More

Although beef demand has increased, extra tonnage is pressuring prices and packers' ability to turn a profit. Any which way you slice it, though, beef packers continue to drag bottom when it comes to profitability....More

Kansas Farm Management Association data on five-year moving averages for three key metrics indicate that cow numbers and the number of calves marketed have hit a plateau in Kansas. The average marketing weight of those calves, however, has increased by 20-30 lbs./head. Is this Kansas data representative of the broader industry, and how has your operation changed and adapted over time?...More

The latest U.S. cattle inventory report shows that the beef cowherd continues to shrink and has shed an average of 350,000 head annually for the past 17 years. With numbers down and calf prices up, the basic fundamentals are in place for heifer retention to begin in earnest. But, while prices have been high, they apparently haven’t been high enough. The ultimate question becomes, given the new operating dynamics, what level of return will be required to reverse this trend and encourage producers to begin rebuilding the cowherd?...More

Support for the beef checkoff remains high, according to a recent survey of beef and dairy producers nationwide. Support, at 76 percent, in unchanged since January 2012 and is at an historic high....More

Tyson CEO Donnie Smith recently noted that his company is witnessing price resistance among consumers and some are trading down, away from beef to chicken. Only time will tell if that occurs in a significant way. If so, it will be translated fairly readily into the wholesale market and could provide a major challenge for this spring’s fed market. As such, risk management is especially warranted here....More

The annual USDA Cattle Inventory report released Friday should yield no surprises to the market but underscores how much tighter the supply is getting....More

Will Rogers, in one of his many commentaries on the state of U.S. politics, once lifted his eyes to the heavens in mock seriousness and said: “Congress meets tomorrow morning. Let us all pray: Oh Lord, give us strength to bear that which is about to be inflicted upon us. Be merciful with them, oh Lord, for they know not what they’re doing. Amen.”...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