NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — Cattle markets have experienced sharp swings in recent days as a mix of economic data, international uncertainty, and industry developments weighs on traders and producers.
Market analyst Rich Nelson says several major headlines have converged at once.
“92,000 jobs removed from non-farm payrolls,” Nelson stated. “Over the weekend, we learned that our fuel cost issue will be hitting these consumers, and they certainly will be having a little problem with that. And now we have our new discussion here that perhaps the JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado, will be moving with that strike in the coming days. So we’ve been hit with three separate stories on the cattle side. Certainly not a good way to start out this week here.”One of the biggest immediate concerns is a potential strike at the JBS Beef Plant in Greeley. The facility employs nearly 4,000 workers and plays a major role in processing cattle for both domestic and export markets.
If workers begin picketing, analysts say the industry could see short-term cattle backlogs, volatility in boxed beef prices, and disruptions across export channels.
JBS Adjusts Slaughter Ahead of Potential Greeley Strike
JBS is already adjusting operations at its Greeley, Colorado, beef plant ahead of a potential labor strike, scaling back slaughter and shifting cattle to other facilities as negotiations continue.
According to Reuters reporting, the company did not slaughter cattle at the Greeley plant on Monday and has begun adjusting cattle deliveries and processing schedules while redirecting livestock to other plants to meet customer needs. Some cattle feeders said harvest bookings were canceled for the week, with at least one shipment rerouted to the company’s facility in Cactus, Texas.
The operational shift comes as workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 prepare for a possible strike as early as March 16 after issuing the required termination notice for their contract extension. The Greeley facility remains open, but the early slowdown signals packers are already repositioning capacity ahead of any disruption.
Regionally, cattle feeders are adjusting logistics and delivery timing, raising concerns about short-term cattle backlogs and volatility in fed cattle and boxed beef markets if reduced slaughter persists.
Looking ahead, JBS continues investing in long-term processing capacity, including a recently launched $150 million expansion and modernization project at its Cactus, Texas, plant, underscoring the company’s flexibility in managing regional supply flows.
Industry Calls for More Trade Agreements
As markets work through global uncertainty, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is urging the White House to finalize additional trade deals.
Kent Bacus says expanded market access would bring stability to the industry.
“That’s what we’re really hoping to see: those deals actually finalized, to see them implemented, so that we can start taking advantage of that,” Bacus said. “I think that’s going to be a big thing for us, but also just for that economic stability we need if we’re going to leverage against China. If we’re going to do that, then we need access to a lot of these other markets, because the other side of that coin is that all of our competitors already have access to many of those Southeast Asian markets and some of the Latin American markets, too. So, we really do need to balance that trade. We need to see these victories come full circle, and hopefully we’ll be there sometime here in the next couple of months.”
Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) say the Trump Administration is also working to finalize additional trade agreements. USDA Undersecretary Luke Lindberg says the goal is fair trade that benefits both sides.
“[Trump] wants wins for both sides, and we’ve seen that as well,” Lindberg told RFD NEWS. “We want coffee from places. We want spices from places. We want bananas from places. Things that we don’t grow, we recognize we would love to have those products here in the United States of America. And oftentimes our consumers demand those products. And so there are great opportunities where we can mutually win. But the problem right now is that the data has shown that our farmers and ranchers are not winning at the rate in which they historically have been winning. And so it’s our job to get us back to a better place where we can compete on that fair and level playing field.”
Lindberg says restoring access to key global contracts the U.S. previously held could help rebuild prosperity in rural America.
USDA Steps Up Fight Against Screwworm
Meanwhile, the USDA is also intensifying efforts to prevent the spread of New World Screwworm, a parasite that can devastate livestock. Officials say the COPEG facility in Panama City currently produces about 100 million sterile flies each week.
The USDA is working to double that capacity by developing a dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg.
Officials say new modeling from the USDA Agricultural Research Service is guiding where sterile flies should be released across northern Mexico to prevent the pest from reaching U.S. cattle.
Construction on the Moore Air Base facility is expected to begin this spring, with the project scheduled for completion in about 18 months.
Tick-Borne Disease Spreading in Missouri
Livestock producers are also monitoring the spread of a tick-borne disease carried by the Asian longhorned tick.
The parasite infects cattle’s red blood cells and can be deadly in severe cases, particularly for calves.
Veterinarians say the disease has now been confirmed in 60 counties across Missouri since it was first detected in the state in 2023. Because there is currently no approved treatment, experts say producers should focus on aggressive tick control to protect their herds.
Protecting Cattle Operations from Rising Risk
Uncertainty continues to weigh on agricultural markets as producers monitor geopolitical developments, weather volatility, and shifting commodity prices. As a result, many farmers and ranchers are looking for guidance on risk management strategies.
Jake Charleston with Specialty Risk Insurance Agency joined us on Tuesday’s Market Day Report to discuss the outlook for cattle markets and the tools available to help producers manage risk.
In his interview with RFD NEWS, Charleston addressed recent movement in cattle futures, noting that market fluctuations can create an emotional environment for producers watching the board. He discussed some of the factors that may be influencing the market and what ranchers are paying attention to as conditions evolve. He also shared what he is hearing from producers who have been using Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), as well as ranchers’ growing interest in the program as a way to protect against price volatility.
