Cattle Market Price Watch: December 2016

Jan 09, 2017

By Chris Prevatt

The August 2017 Feeder Cattle futures contract decreased by $0.22/cwt. during December. Based on this futures price decrease, August Feeder Cattle revenues decreased by approximately $1.65/head ($0.22/cwt. * 7.5 cwt.) on a 750-pound feeder steer which amounts to $110.00/truckload (50,000 lbs.). The August Feeder Cattle futures contract high, contract low, and price range since September 2016 are $128.00, $109.90, and $18.10/cwt., respectively. The price range of $18.10/cwt. on a 750-pound feeder steer totals $135.75/head and $9,050.00/truckload.

The breakeven price was estimated to be $722.10/hd. or $131.29/cwt. ($722.10/hd. divided by 5.50 cwt.). The breakeven price includes production costs of $705/hd. and death loss of $17.10/hd.
The price objective was estimated to be $872.10/hd. or $158.56/cwt. ($872.10/hd. divided by 5.50 cwt.). The price objective includes production costs of $705/hd., death loss ($17.10/hd.), family living withdrawal ($100/hd.), and growth capital/retirement ($50/hd.).
The expected cash price is equal to the daily August 2017 Feeder Cattle futures closing price plus an expected August 2017 South Florida 550 lb. Feeder Calf Basis of $2/cwt.

Source: ufl.edu

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.