January typically brings cold weather, but it can also bring complications to the cattle market.
One trader says it is his least favorite month to trade but says the coming months could be ideal for producers.
“I see a lot of confidence, especially in this cash feeder market. I mean, these prices, there was about a five or six-week stretch that they just went straight up. I feel like we saw, maybe, some heifers getting held back earlier in this Fall, and then, as we’ve just climbed fast, it’s getting tougher to tougher to think, ‘Are we going to be able to rebuild this cowherd or not just with the sheer cost that it is?’ I mean, it’s like $2,000 heifer calf, and it’s going to cost, you know, my cowboy math says about $1,000 per year on that animal,” said Scott Varilek.
The January Cattle on Feed Report comes out later this month, which will give a better idea of the cattle herd.
Strong cattle markets are masking ongoing financial stress across crop agriculture.
March 04, 2026 08:00 AM
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Purdue University’s Dr. Michael Langemeier discusses the survey’s findings in February and broader signals in the months ahead.
March 03, 2026 02:38 PM
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Roger McEowen of Washburn University School of Law joined us to discuss key legal and tax issues ranchers should consider as they recover from recent prairie fires across the Southern Plains.
March 03, 2026 01:06 PM
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Texas lawmakers secure funding for sterile fly production as officials work to stop the New World screwworm from spreading into the U.S. cattle herd.
March 03, 2026 12:20 PM
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Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding discusses the recent surge in bird flu cases, the state’s expanded biosecurity response and efforts to support poultry producers.
March 03, 2026 12:16 PM
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Weather Swings Shape Early Season Farm Conditions Nationwide
March 02, 2026 02:54 PM
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