Meat Market Update | Cutout skyrockets higher

The cutout continues its mad dash higher, ending $84 higher. It's $200 higher than the same week last year.

Ed Czerwien, Market Reporter

May 7, 2020

In this time of continued uncertainty, one thing seems to be constant -- the cutout's march higher. The daily spot Choice box beef cutout ended the week on Friday, May 1 at $377.45 which was $84.08 higher compared to previous Friday. But the fun wasn't over there, the daily Choice cutout continued to climb higher and was $428.82 on Tuesday, May 5th, so another all-time high record set. If you remember, last week it ended $54 higher week over week as panic buying continued in grocery stores. For some perspective, last year, the cutout was $227.36, which was about $5 lower last year.

The weekly average Choice cutout, which includes all types of sales including the daily Choice cutout, was $309.38 which was $56.68 higher. This follows the daily cutout, just at a little slower pace which is always normal. 

There were 4,440 total loads sold for the week which was 115 loads lower than the previous week. This pushed the 4-week moving average graph much lower than ever recorded with many plants shut down or with much lower volume.   

About the Author(s)

Ed Czerwien

Market Reporter

Ed Czerwien is a market analyst in Amarillo, Texas. From the heart of Cattle Feeding Country, Ed follows the cattle and wholesale markets to keep beef producers up-to-date on the market moves that affect them. He previously worked with USDA as a Market News reporter. Ed is now semi-retired and continues to work with cattle trade analysis.

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