Meat - Hog, Cattle, Poultry etc.

[winston]

Cattle Herd Shrinks to Smallest Since 1973 as Drought Scorches U.S. South By Elizabeth Campbell

The U.S. cattle inventory on July 1 shrank to the smallest since at least 1973 as producers reduced herds amid a prolonged drought in the Southwest and rising feed costs.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-2 ... south.html

[winston]

Hogs

CNBC reporter Jane Wells reported a sharp rise in missing pigs in the

U.S. She said it's understandable because pig farmers are getting $200 per animal, as pork exports and prices have risen sharply.

Source: thestreet.com

[winston]

Cattle Prices Jump to Record as Beef Exports Cut Supply From Smaller HerdsBy Blair Euteneuer

Cattle futures rallied to a record for the second time this month on signs that rising demand for U.S. beef will erode supplies that are shrinking as ranchers reduce the size of their herds.

Beef output will drop 4.9 percent next year after high feed costs led ranchers to slaughter more breeding cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Oct. 12.

The cattle herd totaled 100 million head on July 1, the lowest for that date since at least 1973. Beef exports this year through August were up 27 percent, and meat producers say yesterday’s approval of three U.S. free-trade agreements will boost sales further.

Cattle futures have surged 25 percent in the past year, and the government said last month that retail-beef prices will rise by as much as 9 percent this year, more than any other major food group. Increased costs are squeezing profit margins for restaurant owners including Texas Roadhouse Inc. and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.

Congress approved free-trade agreements yesterday with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, bringing an end to years of stalemate among U.S. lawmakers and offering what supporters said was the biggest opportunity for exporters in decades. The bills go to President Barack Obama for approval.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation expects beef shipments to climb by about $517 million, or 13 percent, over the next 15 years as duties on U.S. shipments are phased out.

The Korea agreement would cut levies of 40 percent on U.S. beef to zero percent over 15 years, dropping 2.7 percent each year, the Denver-based group said.

This year through August, the U.S. exported 276.9 million pounds of beef and veal to South Korea, up 50 percent from a year earlier, USDA data show. Only Mexico, Canada and Japan have purchased more.

Wholesale-beef prices are up 21 percent in the past year, and the retail cost for consumers reached a record $4.489 a pound in August, USDA data show. “We can expect higher prices yet,” Vetterkind said.

The worst drought in Texas history has parched pastures and forced ranchers to shrink livestock herds rather than incur higher costs to buy feed grain.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-1 ... herds.html

[winston]

DJ Foot-And-Mouth Disease Revival Threatens China Hogs -Analyst

BEIJING (Dow Jones)--A resurgence of a variant of foot-and-mouth disease is threatening China's hog supply and underpinning pork prices, a senior industry analyst with Rabobank Group said Wednesday.

The disease, which affects most parts of the world that have major animal husbandry industries, creates the risk of pork prices continuing to keep food costs elevated at a time when Beijing is seeking to combat high consumer-price inflation.

"Hog inventories have risen a bit but disease is quite serious," Chenjun Pan said. "From the industry, we know the disease is coming back and it might worsen depending on the weather change and the vaccination and sanitary measures taken by the farmers."

Average wholesale fresh pork prices tracked by the Ministry of Commerce have fallen 3.7% this week since reaching a record CNY26.44 a kilogram in mid-September.

However, October prices are still up about 45% on year, suggesting hog supply hasn't significantly improved, Pan said.

( Pork prices is up 45% yoy and inflation is 6% )

"In the second half of the year, foot-and-mouth disease will continue to be prevalent, especially in hog populations that were already affected last year," the Hunan Province Hog Production Technique System, a provincial-level think tank, said in a report widely carried among industry websites last week.

Hunan is China's major pig-producing province.

Chinese veterinary authorities reported an outbreak of the disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals, in Ningxia Autonomous Region last week to the World Organization for Animal Health.

China also reported an outbreak among swine, sheep, cattle and goats in Guizhou province in July and among pigs in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in March.

Source: Dow Jones Newswires

[winston]

DJ China Ministry: Pork Prices Fell 1.9% Last Week

BEIJING (Dow Jones)--China's wholesale pork prices fell 1.9% in the week to Nov.13 to CNY24.28 a kilogram, extending the decline to 8.2% since reaching a high in mid-September, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

More hog raisers have sold their stocks before peak season for pig diseases in winter, easing market supply tightness, analysts said.

Meanwhile, increased imports also contributed to the price declines, they said.

Source: Dow Jones Newswires

[winston]

Where's the Beef: U.S. beef consumption in decline

CHICAGO (Reuters) - For the past decade, cattle ranchers and meat packers watched with despair as America's beef consumption steadily declined, ceding ground to leaner meats as well as vegetarian trends among the health-conscious.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/ ... health1100

[winston]

Cattle Futures Rise to Record as ‘Spectacular’ Demand Boosts Beef Expenses

Cattle futures rose as animal supplies dwindled in the U.S. and global beef demand climbed, boosting meat costs for restaurants including Sonic Corp., a hamburger chain.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-1 ... enses.html

[winston]

Insight: Bull run in U.S. cattle may lose steam, for now by K.T. Arasu and Theopolis Waters

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Texas rancher Jim Selman is on the verge of going out of the cattle business, a victim of one of the worst droughts since the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

The more than 300 cattle on his 3,000 acre ranch in Gonzales county have dwindled to a mere seven, as the verdant pastures turned into dried up brush and hay prices went through the roof.

Scenes like this have become the hallmark of the once robust ranching community in Texas, the cradle of the cattle industry that began with the pioneers heading West to set up homesteads, and to a lesser extent in states like Oklahoma and Kansas.

And fears that the United States will 'run out of cattle' and suffer from a shortage in beef supplies -- raising prices at restaurants and supermarkets --- have lit a fire under the live cattle futures market at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Futures have surged 40 percent over the past five years, peaking at a record 126.075 cents per lb on Friday. They are up 15 percent since the start of 2011, but were taking a breather on Monday at 124.400 cents after trading to a flat close.

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

U.S. Cattle Herd Falls to Smallest Since 1952 as Drought Destroys Pastures

U.S. cattle inventories fell to the lowest in 60 years after a drought in the South scorched pastures, prompting ranchers to shrink herds.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-2 ... tures.html

[winston]

Fat pig market may cause 10pc price fall

The heaviest and most numerous US pig population on record and rebounding Chinese output are creating a pork surplus that is poised to halt a four-year rally in prices.


Source: SCMP