Cattle Market Reports and Analysis

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.

Economist Dan Basse predicts a bullish outlook for the beef industry, with projected 2025 revenue of $113 billion — compared with $57 billion for corn.

Market analysts attribute the strong beef demand to several factors including the consumer craze for protein.

Unpack two key factors likely resulting in record cattle prices and impacts to the industry.