Cattle on Feed Report Explained for Cattle Feeders

TL;DR The USDA Cattle on Feed (COF) report drives cattle futures because it reveals real supply: placements, marketings, and on-feed inventory. What matters isn’t the number itself—but how it compares to pre-report estimates. Heavy placements → bearish. Light...

How to Trade Futures Cattle Spreads for Hedging

Futures Cattle Spreads TL;DR A cattle spread is the price difference between two futures months; some feeders trade this difference, not the outright price. Spreads move because of real cattle fundamentals — carcass weights, placements, seasonal flows, packer demand,...

Cattle Basis Contracts: A Feeder’s Guide

Introduction: Why Cattle Feeders Must Understand Basis For cattle feeders, basis is not just a math formula — it’s one of the most important profitability signals in the entire feeding business. While futures prices set broad market expectations, basis reveals the...