Calf appreciation outpaces finished male and widens premium in Mato Grosso

The price of a 7@ calf in Mato Grosso stood at R$/@ 438 in the second week of February, up 5.2% compared to the same period in January. In parallel, the finished male averaged R$/@ 302.8, posting a more moderate 2.1% monthly increase.

According to the Instituto Mato-grossense de Economia Agropecuária (Imea), the faster appreciation of calves widened the premium over the finished male, lifting the indicator to 44.8%. The institute attributes this performance to tighter availability of replacement cattle combined with firm demand. Imea notes that this trend is likely to persist in the short term, improving profitability for cow-calf producers.

In addition, the price movement reinforces incentives for female retention and helps sustain firm quotations for finished male cattle.

Source: Estadão.