Alternative Pricing and Delivery Strategies for Alberta Cattle Feeders

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
  • This study evaluates the risk and returns to cattle feeding in Alberta from the application of alternative marketing and pricing strategies. Feedlot finishing of 650 pount calves and 800 pound yearlings is modeled over the years from 1980 to 1993. The results of the study are based on the domestic and US marketing of live cattle using traditional cash marketing, futures contracts, put options, and forward production contracting systems. Use of the Western Domestic Feed Barley contract is also simulated. The results showed that barley price changes produced relatively small return changes compared to feeder and fat cattle price changes. An important source of return risk was found to be basis risk. Production contracting strategies which eliminated basis risk were found to provide the best returns in a market based risk-return comparison. The use of put options did not add value to cattle feeding investments.

  • Date created
    1995
  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Type of Item
    Report
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3JW86V4F
  • License
    Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 International