Profit Tracker: Cattle Feeding Margins Top $200

Nov 08, 2022

Autumn’s fed cattle price rally has pushed average cattle feeding margins through the $200 per head barrier for the first time since well before the pandemic.

Cattle traded last week for a national average of $152.75 per cwt., the highest price in seven years, resulting in average profits of $207 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. That’s $20 per head higher than the previous week. Profit margins may be up but so are the costs associated with finishing a steer.

Cattle placed on feed last week, however, are estimated to have a breakeven of $154.37 per cwt. That’s based on 750-800 lb. feeder steers at $179.01 per cwt., and feed costs of $597 per head. The feeder steer price is 14% higher than last year. The Beef and Pork Profit Trackers are calculated by Sterling Marketing, Vale, Oregon.

Estimated beef packer margins for the week ending Nov. 5 were $70 per head, up $4 per head from the previous week and down 90% from estimated margins a year ago of $674 per head. Last week’s Choice beef cutout averaged $258.95 per cwt., about $2 higher than the previous week and down $26 per cwt. (9%) from the same week a year ago.

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Video: Our Own On-Farm Research Is the Best Source - Managing White Mold in Northeast Nebraska

If you assumed Nebraska was too hot and dry for white mold to be a problem in soybeans, think again.

This week we're featuring Galen Samuelson, a farmer and dealer from Wakefield, Nebraska, who knows all too well how devastating white mold can be.

"We don't have it consistently every year, but with our temperature and humidity, it can hurt us quite bad," Samuelson says. Looking for alternatives, he explains, "What I like about Heads Up is that it's non-harmful to the beneficial fungal colonies in the soil." Galen has been using Heads Up for several years now, after first hearing about it through a small ad in a regional newspaper. Watch below to hear about his journey.

When asked to write about Samuelson Seed, Galen said the following:

"Samuelson Seed is a 4th-generation, family-based company. It started with my grandfather, and I'm now starting to pass the torch to my son, Caleb."

"In the early 1990s, I started working with a company whose focus was on plant and soil health before those benefits were widely known. I've continued to keep plant and soil health the main focus in our farming operation decisions."