NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — America’s beef sector is caught between record-high cattle prices, struggling packer margins, and a wave of renewed policy debates, according to the North American Meat Institute’s October report, The Reality of Beef and Cattle Markets (PDF Version). The group says tight cattle supplies are driving cow-calf and feedlot profits sharply higher — but packers remain in the red as plant utilization slips and labor and trade costs climb.
The Meat Institute notes producers’ share of the retail beef dollar has climbed to 55 percent, while packers’ share has fallen to just 5 percent. Concentration among major beef packers has held steady for three decades, countering claims of rising consolidation. Meanwhile, about half of all U.S. beef consumed is ground, and imports of lean trim — mainly from Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand — remain critical for meeting domestic burger demand. Even a proposed expansion of Argentine beef imports, the report says, would barely move U.S. retail prices.
The Institute also warns against reviving “bad ideas” such as mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) and interstate sales of uninspected meat, calling both costly and risky to food safety. It urges the USDA to maintain strict federal inspection standards and coordination on the New World Screwworm response plan. On trade, the group says China’s refusal to reauthorize 415 U.S. beef plants violates the Phase One Agreement and has created major export losses that demand White House action.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Tight cattle supplies keep prices high for ranchers, but policy shifts, export barriers, and packer losses signal a volatile road ahead for the beef supply chain.
In part four of his blog series, “Top 10 Developments in Ag Law and Tax in 2023,” Roger McEowen tackles issue number four, the Employment Retention Credit.
January 31, 2024 09:00 AM
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In part three of his blog series, “Top 10 Developments in Ag Law and Tax in 2023,” Roger McEowen covers the Corps of Engineers’ mismanagement of Missouri River water levels.
January 30, 2024 02:29 PM
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“Where The Food Comes From” visits M&B Products, a milk bottling plant in Temple Terrace, FL (a suburb of Tampa) with its farm in Lecanto, operated by the McClellan family. Get ready for a lesson in everything from milk bottling, to dairy nutrition, and bovine reproduction!
January 25, 2024 03:00 PM
Would you believe it’s possible to have a dairy barn where all you smell is clean fresh country air? Leon McLellan of M&B Products in Temple Terrace, FL shows us how!
January 24, 2024 03:00 PM
If chocolate milke doesn’t come from brown cows (and strawberry milk certainly doesn’t come from pink ones), then where does it come from? Get the scoop!
January 24, 2024 10:00 AM
At Florida dairy operation M&B Products, we learn about bottling milk, lactose intolerance, and so much more!
January 23, 2024 03:57 PM
Two more key developments in ag law and taxation from 2023, a crackdown on biodiesel fraud and developments in self-employment taxation (#7 and #6), are the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post, the second in a series by RFD-TV agri-legal expert Roger McEowen.
January 18, 2024 12:44 PM
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The start of the review of the most important ag law and tax developments of 2023—that is the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV agri-legal expert Roger A. McEowen
January 04, 2024 12:20 PM
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As we start the new year, let’s take a look at some of the legislative items from 2023 affecting agriculture that will continue to play out in the political area for months to come.
January 02, 2024 12:00 PM
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