Monday is sale day in Carthage, Mo. At the Joplin Stockyards, the air is filled with the rhythmic chant of auctioneers and the shuffling hooves. Among the crowd of buyers, part-owner Jackie Moore watches the ring with a smile, watching a market that is finally paying off for producers.
“Cattle are $100 higher than they were a year ago,” Moore says.
The higher prices and the resulting grins haven’t always been the case for the buyers and sellers sitting ringside at the Moore family’s business. Moore is an industry veteran, having started his career at the stockyards back in 1977, long before the operation moved to its current Carthage location.
“It’s been a long time since 1977,” he reflects.
Moore is grateful many cattlemen today are no longer focused on the years of struggle. Instead, they are seeing cash for their efforts.
“They’re in the driver’s seat now. They’re getting paid for what they’re doing. You know we see those people walk up to the window — you sold 20 head of calves, and they get a check for $50,000. He’s got three little kids at home, a trailer house and 80 acres of land. He’s the happiest guy in the world, and nobody would be happier for him than I am,” Moore says.
Moore is quick to point out the cattle industry is cyclical. While the current environment is prosperous, the question remains: When could the momentum shift? He believes the answer is tied closely to heifer sales and the eventual rebuilding of the national herd. Moore said buyers are purchasing more heifers to breed than they have historically.
“I think we’ve got a year and a half left of this really, really good market. Maybe then, as we see those heifers calve that they’re buying today, that we get enough cattle to satisfy the market,” Moore explains.
External factors are also playing a role in the current market dynamics. The suspension of live cattle imports along the Mexico border has tightened an already record-low cattle inventory. The border has remained closed since last July. While Moore believes a reopening could have an initial impact on the market, he doubts it will significantly alter long-term prices.
“We taught the cartel how to slaughter those cattle, how to feed those cattle, how to make money with those cattle. So consequently, you know, I don’t think there’s gonna be as big a need for them to export those cattle as there once was,” he says.
Midwest Market Solutions president Brian Hoops said there could be a headline risk for algorithm trades when the border opens, but he thinks, realistically, it might not have a large impact because of what has already been priced into the market. He agrees with Moore that processing has changed since the closure.
Moore notes the cattle environment in both Mexico and the U.S. is evolving, even without the steady flow of imports.
“Where this all leads us probably remains to be seen of how long the border is actually closed,” he adds.
Hoops says: “They’ve [Mexico] invested millions and maybe billions of dollars in an infrastructure because the border being closed. It’s kind of a double edged sword where we get a benefit of the border, being closed and having left less cattle here on feed and seeing higher prices, but it’s also forced Mexican producers to invest in infrastructure.”
Moore adds: “What happens down the road? I don’t know. I don’t really know. I’m very optimistic, and I’m bullish at the cattle market. All I know to do is just keep playing the game and enjoy the ride.”
Consumer Demand
On the consumer side, demand for beef continues to grow and is reaching record levels. Nebraska Farm Bureau reports an index created by the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) to gauge beef demand reached 138 last year, the highest on record and a 10-point jump from 2024.
Director of LMIC Tyler Cozzens says a similar jump has only happened two other times in the last 25 years. He says since 2019, the index increased 27%.
“Prices are extremely high. You’re right about that,” Hoops says. “There’s still optimism that prices are going to continue to move higher because we’re going into the spring grilling season.”
