CHART:Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Applauds Introduction Of Emergency Grazing Legislation

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today applauded the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral PASTURE (Pandemic Authority Suitable To Utilize Reserve Easements) Act of 2020 by U.S. Representatives Roger Marshall (R - 1st Dist., Kansas) and Angie Craig (D - 2nd Dist., MN). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

“Introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral PASTURE Act is a welcome step toward providing grazing flexibility to livestock producers during the COVID-19 pandemic," said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. "As farmers and ranchers are keeping and feeding livestock for longer periods of time, Congress must ensure that...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter 

The Trip Back to 'Normal' Slaughter Levels

Tuesday, May 26th, was a relative milestone for the hog industry as of late. The day’s kill was estimated at 405,000 head, the first time daily slaughter reached the 400,000 mark since April 17th. While this is a small victory, it is a victory nonetheless for an industry that has seen a precipitous drop in chain speeds due to COVID-19. The last time hog slaughter was near ‘normal’ was the week ended April 18th. Just two months ago, the industry achieved the largest daily hog slaughter on record at 500,879 head. As worker absenteeism and plant shutdowns disrupted chain speeds drastically during the last week of April, daily kill dropped to as low as 267,367 head, nearly 47% off its peak. 

It has been a slow but steady climb back to ‘normal’ slaughter levels. The improvement in production capabilities during the latest five weeks has helped nudge last week’s kill to over 2 million head. Early indications for this Saturday’s slaughter are pushing... 

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Sends Letter To Ag Secretary Perdue Urging Against CFAP Payment Limitations On Cattle Producers

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging against payment limitations for cattle producers under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane issued the following statement:

“The economic damage to cattle producers across the country continues to mount due to the COVID-19 crisis. While we are extremely grateful to Congress, USDA and the Trump Administration for their work to keep the beef supply chain moving and deliver aid to our producers, we are concerned that...

NCBA Delivers "Paycheck Protection Program Increase Act" for Cattle Producers and Small Business

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President, Government Affairs, Ethan Lane issued the following statement in response to U.S. Senate passage of additional legislation, the Paycheck Protection Program Increase Act of 2020, to provide relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:

“We applaud the Senate for advancing this critical replenishment of funding to programs like Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and we are pleased to see the reaffirmation of Congress’s intent that cattle producers be granted access to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program administered by the Small Business Administration.

"We urge the House of Representatives to move swiftly to approve this package and deliver these funds to producers across the country who are continuing to...

NCBA Applauds USDA Relief Plan

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Marty Smith issued the following statement regarding the announcement related to USDA’s plan for distribution of CARES Act funding.

“We appreciate Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s announcement that the agency will soon distribute funding to the cattlemen and cattlewomen who desperately need help during this national emergency. We applaud USDA’s work to quickly craft a plan to distribute the funds to those who need it most and we look forward to learning more about that plan very soon. America’s cattle producers are facing unprecedented crisis after...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

ANALYSIS: Recent Plant Closures Creating Additional Uncertainty in the Value Chain

One of the first meat plants to announce its temporary closure due to the coronavirus was the JBS beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania on March 31st. Since then, additional beef, as well as...

Coronavirus-Related Cattle Industry Losses Estimated at $13.6 Billion

A study released estimates cattle industry losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will reach $13.6 billion. The study was commissioned by NCBA and conducted by a team of industry-leading agricultural economists led by Derrell Peel, Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness and Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist at Oklahoma State University, to assist USDA in determining how best to allocate CARES Act relief funds to cattle producers.

The study shows cow-calf producers will see the largest impact, with COVID-19-related losses totaling an estimated...

ANALYSIS: Chuck Contribution to Beef Cutout Making Major Moves

There has been a clear shift in demand patterns when looking at buying of boxed beef items during the current world pandemic. Middle meats, ribs and loins, typically...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Applauds Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Urging COVID-19 Relief for Cattle Producers

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded a congressional letter that was sent today to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging swift relief for American cattle producers who have been adversely impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of over 145 lawmakers from both chambers of Congress.

“America’s cattle producers have been hit hard by the unforeseen financial challenges brought on by this pandemic. We thank each and every lawmaker that showed their continued support to rural families by signing onto this critical letter,” said NCBA President Marty Smith, a family cow-calf operator from Wacahoota, Fla. “We remain hopeful that...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

Industry Reacts to Senate Passage of the Coronavirus Stimulus Package

The $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package is expected to pass in Congress. The Senate passed the legislation Wednesday evening and the House is set to vote today. The bill includes $250 billion to make unemployment insurance available to more categories of workers and to extend the duration of benefits. About $150 billion will go to states, distributed according to population size. Another $349 billion will be used as loans for small businesses.

Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation, said, "Companies that were investing, growing and contributing to a vibrant economy just a few weeks ago have been thrust into survival mode through no fault of their own." The Federation spoke on behalf of the retail industry in a press release by expressing appreciation for the efforts by leaders in Congress and President Trump to...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Sends Letter to Capitol Hill Urging Relief for Cattle Producers

In response to the ongoing efforts to provide relief to Americans impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane issued the following statement:

“As the country reels both economically and emotionally from the spread of COVID-19, NCBA has been hard at work ensuring that cattle producers remain able to focus on the national infrastructure priority of keeping high-quality beef available to consumers.

“Meeting that challenge requires federal officials at the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Interior, Treasury, and more to have a full understanding of how our product gets from the pasture to the plate – and...

ANALYSIS: Record Cattle Basis – Driven By Steep Losses in CME and Retail Buying Support

Assuming April live cattle close limit up today, March 19, 2020 at $95.10, that is a $17.90 spread from yesterday's $113 live trade in the South compared to...

ANALYSIS: Sell-Off in CME Live Cattle Futures Triggers Key Indicator for Live Cattle

As the global equity markets remain volatile, and bond yields have moved significantly lower, CME live cattle futures have been...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

PODCAST: Meet Courtney - Futures, Cattle, and Cats

This week Courtney Shum joined Laura to discuss her new role at Urner Barry reporting the cash markets for livestock, futures, and more. She gives insight into her contacts and the wealth of information they share with her...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter 

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA 2020 Policy Priorities

This morning, the Executive Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) approved the organization’s top 2020 Policy Priorities. Approval came at the annual Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Like last year, NCBA’s top policy priorities include issues related to international trade, proper regulation of fake meat, and regulatory reform, although after a series of significant policy victories in 2019, this year’s priority list is focused on implementing and protecting those gains while further advancing progress into new territory.

For example, after helping secure bilateral trade deals with Japan, China, and the European Union, as well as the ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, NCBA’s focus this year will turn to...

Cargill Conducts Voluntary Recall of a Single Lot of NutreBeef Transition Pellet 

Cargill’s animal nutrition business is conducting a voluntary recall of a single lot (382 bags, 50 lb each) of NutreBeef Transition Pellet (MH) beef cattle feed because the product may contain mispackaged feed with elevated levels of monensin. The affected product was sold in Kansas and Texas. At elevated levels, monensin can be toxic to cattle and can cause colic-like symptoms, hypokalemia (low potassium), myoglobinuria (breakdown of muscle in the urine), chronic cardiovascular issues, and possible death.

The following affected product was manufactured at Cargill’s McPherson, KS, facility and is being recalled from...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter 

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

Western Ranchers Welcome BLM Action to Improve Grazing Regulations

Western ranchers welcomed a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Notice of Intent (NOI), which appeared in today’s Public Inspection and will publish in the Federal Register on January 21st, announcing that the agency is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on new grazing regulations. The NOI opened a public comment period and announced that in-person scoping meetings will be held across the West.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for BLM permittees to set the record straight,” said Dr. J.J. Goicoechea who chairs the NCBA Federal Lands Committee and PLC’s Grazing Regulations Working Group. “We have endured Bruce Babbitt’s ‘Range Reform’ for over 25 years—and the land, native grasses, and...

CHART: Industry Expectatons for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

Ranchers Approve of NEPA Changes

President Trump announced noteworthy changes to the National Environmental Policy Act that would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects. NEPA was first introduced in 1970 to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can coexist, and has not undergone changes since 1986. Ranchers must be reviewed under NEPA for many reasons, but most common examples include renewal of a term grazing permit, construction of range improvements, or for eligibility to participate in USDA programs. However, due to litigation, outside pressure, and an abundance of caution, these costly processes can be further delayed. These delays create...

REPORTER: For Some, Marketing Animals A Tougher Job Than Raising Them

For some livestock and poultry producers, marketing animals successfully in today’s business environment has proven to be a tough job—at times perhaps even more so than...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

USDA Proposes to Reapportion Cattlemen’s Beef Board Membership

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is proposing to adjust membership on the Beef Promotion and Research Board to reflect shifts in cattle inventory levels since the last board reapportionment in 2017, as required by the rules governing the board.

Under the proposal, total board membership would increase by two members, from 99 to 101, and would include the following changes...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

Legislation to Preserve Family Farms Introduced in Congress

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today announced its strong support for the “Preserving Family Farms Act of 2019.” Introduced by U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D - 20th Dist. - Calif.) and Jackie Walorski (R - 2nd Dist. - Ind.), this important bipartisan legislation would expand IRS Code Section 2032A to allow more ranchers and farmers to take advantage of the special use valuation and protect family-owned businesses from the devastating impact of the death tax.

NCBA President Jennifer Houston said that ranchers and farmers are very appreciative of the death tax relief that was passed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), but that many cattle producers are either still vulnerable to...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Applauds Introduction of Hours of Service Legislation

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association today applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation by U.S. Reps. Angie Craig (D – 2nd Dist., Minn.) and Lloyd Smucker (R - 11th Dist., Penn.) that would provide flexible and common-sense relief from Hours of Service (HOS) rules for agricultural haulers.

The Responsible & Efficient Agriculture Destination (TREAD) Act would ensure that the current Hours of Service exemption that applies to the 150-air-mile radius from the source of an agricultural commodity adds the same 150 air mile radius flexibility to the back end of a trip, or the destination. The bill also clarifies that...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA Applauds Introduction of Livestock Risk Management and Education Act

Todd Wilkinson, South Dakota cattle producer and NCBA Policy Division Vice Chair, today released the following statement in response to the introduction of the Livestock Risk Management and Education Act by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.):

“NCBA applauds Representative Dusty Johnson's introduction of the Livestock Risk Management and Education Act yesterday on the House floor. This legislation will provide boots-on-the-ground cattle producers with critical resources and opportunities to increase their understanding and engagement with risk management tools. This bill speaks directly to our core values as an industry - arming producers with...

South Dakota Cattleman to U.S. Senate Committee: American Beef is Climate Change Solution

South Dakota cattle producer Todd Wilkinson today told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that contrary to the claims of some environmental and anti-animal-agriculture activists, "American beef production and consumption is a climate change solution."

"Climate policies that unfairly target cattle producers fail to recognize the positive role of cattle and beef in a healthy, sustainable food system," Wilkinson told members of the U.S. Senate's Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. "Rather than adopting misguided policies that threaten the viability of farmers and ranchers, we want to shift the conversation."

The subcommittee held today's hearing on the issue of "Reducing Emissions While Driving Economic Growth: Industry-Led Initiatives." In his testimony, Wilkinson discussed...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Slaughter 

R-CALF Files Lawsuit to Stop USDA's RFID Ear Tag Mandate 

Harriet Hageman, Senior Litigation Counsel with the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Casper, Wyoming representing the Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) and four ranchers from Wyoming and South Dakota, to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) effort to eliminate all animal identification options other than radio frequency identification (RFID) devices and premises registration for adult cattle and bison moving interstate.

The lawsuit seeks declaratory judgment and an injunction against Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and USDA Administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Kevin Shae, who together issued...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

Ohio Man Sentenced for Intentionally Selling Sick, Adulterated Calves for Human Consumption

On September 26, 2019, Cory Gillette, a cattle hauler and dealer, of Albany, Ohio, was sentenced to 5 years of probation, a $1,000 fine and 150 hours of community service for introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce and for making false statements to federal investigators. Gillette pleaded guilty to those charges in January.

According to charges filed in the United States District Court in the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, Mr. Gillette presented cattle to slaughterhouses that tested positive for Gentamicin, a new animal drug that is a medically important antimicrobial prohibited in food intended for human consumption and not approved for use in cattle.

Under federal law, food is deemed to be adulterated if it contains a new animal drug that is unsafe for its intended use, as determined by approved conditions for...

Agriculture Groups Urge USDA to Quickly Establish Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank

Representatives of the National Pork Producers Council, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to move as quickly as possible to establish a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank.

At a press conference today, these groups recognized the steps USDA has taken to establish the bank, but called for expedient use of mandatory funding included in the 2018 Farm Bill to purchase the volume of vaccines required to effectively contain and eradicate an FMD outbreak. Currently, the USDA, which has prescribed vaccination for dealing with an FMD outbreak, does not have access to...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter 

CHART: Industry Expecations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter 

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Cattle Slaughter

Kansas Beef Plant Fire Could Weigh on Cattle Market Near-Term

A large fire occurred Friday at the Tyson Foods beef plant in Holcomb, Kansas, forcing the evacuation of all workers and closure of the facility for an undetermined period.

The loss of that plant means that, at least temporarily, the industry will likely process around 6,000 fewer cattle per day, which could weigh on the cash market and possibly near-term futures as well. The market could react bearishly to the news since fed cattle supplies will have to be absorbed by fewer plants operating for an as yet undetermined time. However, less beef output could also push up wholesale prices for beef. 

The industry has been processing an average of about...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations For Weekly Cattle Slaughter

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter

NCBA, State Affiliates Urge Congress to Ratify USMCA

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today sent a letter signed by 39 of its state affiliates to U.S. Senate and House leaders urging them to support the swift ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is NCBA’s latest salvo in the battle to build support for USMCA ratification, coming less than two weeks after the group launched a new media campaign to push the accord...

CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter