The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) livestock, dairy and poultry outlook last week provided a look into the supply situations for cattle, hogs, poultry and dairy supplies for the rest of 2015.

"Because of disproportionate placements of heavy feeder cattle in feedlots, relatively inexpensive corn and historically low cattle on feed inventories, cattle feeders have been able to retain fed cattle to heavier weights, and packers have paid prices higher than are consistent with increases in wholesale cutout values," the USDA said in the report.

As a result, the USDA said, "narrow-to-negative profit margins persist despite record price levels for virtually all of the cattle/beef complex."

The USDA noted that U.S. beef...