Cattle Market Reports and Analysis
As lingering drought curbs herd expansion and plant shifts shake up packer leverage, Terrain’s Dave Weaber breaks down why recent import headlines may pack less market punch than expected.
High feed costs, retail resistance and resuming Mexican imports signal lower prices, but structural supply limits offer downside protection.
From JBS Souderton’s $30 million value-added pivot to Tyson’s Nebraska shutdown, the processing sector is restructuring around high-efficiency plants, heavier carcasses and automated lines.
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.
Brad Kooima discusses the drivers behind current cattle market volatility and how supply shortages are shaping packer strategies.
Terrain’s Dave Weaber says placements of cattle into feedlots will continue to shrink, long-feared beef slaughter capacity reductions have arrived, and the beef cow herd hasn’t begun to expand.
Strong demand supports beef prices amid economic volatility, but herd investment and growth slows as producers grapple with increasing uncertainty due to political noise.
Oklahoma State’s Derrell Peel says the beef industry needs time — not politics or policy — to solve beef supply and demand realities.