WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — Broader market uncertainty remains following President Donald Trump’s comments last fall regarding beef imports from Argentina, which sent cattle futures sharply lower at the time.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Collin Woodall says he used the opportunity to explain how current cattle prices reflect long-overdue returns for producers — not market manipulation.
“It was a great opportunity to make sure he understands how beef prices work, how the cattle markets work for not just him, but his entire administration,” Woodall said. “While beef prices are high right now, we as beef producers feel that we’re finally getting paid for the quality of the product that we’re producing.”
Woodall emphasized that beef continues to compete successfully with other proteins at the retail level.
“The consumer, when they go to the retail meat case, they have a lot of choices when it comes to meat protein,” Woodall said. “They don’t have to buy beef, but they want to buy beef. They want to buy beef because of the taste, because of the flavor, because of the consistency, and they know that they’re getting a high-quality product.”
He added that beef pricing is fundamentally different from other commodities.
“When you need an egg, you have to have an egg,” Woodall said. “That’s the difference here. The consumer is making the decision to buy beef rather than being forced to do so. It really is a true open market dynamic.”
Woodall also noted that uncertainty surrounding New World screwworm is another factor impacting the cattle trade, but says the industry is prepared, crediting efforts from USDA, state animal health officials, and industry partners.
Rebuilding the Herd: Latest Cattle on Feed Report Gets Muted Reaction
The latest January Cattle on Feed Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave traders little reason to react, with numbers coming in almost exactly where the trade expected.
Allendale, Inc., livestock market analyst Kyle Bumsted calls the report largely “neutral,” noting that most categories landed right in line with pre-report estimates.
“I’m going to call it a neutral report here, with a very neutral tone,” Bumsted said. “The average trade estimate for on-feed as of January one is 96.8 percent. That came in right at 96.8 percent, and it’s the lowest in nine years.”
December placements were slightly higher than expected but still historically low.
“Looking at it really quickly, the December placements were slightly higher than expected, but still the lowest in ten years,” Bumsted said. “93.5 is what they estimate was going in. It came in at 94.6.”
Marketings also came in marginally higher than estimates.
“The marketing number was estimated at 101.5, and that came in at 101.8,” Bumsted said. “That was marginally higher than expected. That’d be the highest in four years. So, all in all, I’m going to call this a neutral report here.”
While the report itself failed to move the market, Bumsted says weather may have a much larger impact in the days ahead. A winter storm moving through cattle country is already forcing the closure of several southern sale barns.
“I’m really looking at the feeder cattle complex and looking at the southern sale barns here,” Bumsted said. “We’re going to have a lot of sale barns that are closed. They’ve already called sales off and are saying we’re not going to have any sales next week, so that’s going to affect the number of feeder cattle going into that feeder cattle index number.”
He also noted that January feeder cattle futures and options expire next week, adding another layer of volatility.
“On Thursday, they’re going to expire and then get marked against the cash index,” Bumsted said. “If we were to keep these northern barns open and keep the higher prices that we’re seeing out there in these northern barns, that could really put a skew on the index and really make for some fireworks towards the option expiration here next Thursday.”
The cattle markets will get another update on Friday with the release of the USDA’s Cattle Inventory Report.
Study Tracks the Unique Role of Livestock Sale Barns
Livestock sale barns play a unique role in rural communities, extending beyond price discovery to influence personal well-being and on-farm decision-making.
Marilyn Schlake, with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Agricultural Economics, joined us on Tuesday’s Market Day Report to discuss a recent study examining the broader role of sale barns and what her research found.
In her interview with RFD NEWS, Schlake explained how these findings show up in real-world settings, including differences in how sale barns function within their communities.
Schlake also discussed cultural differences observed among barns and how those distinctions shape producer interactions. Finally, she shared a visual graphic developed as part of the study to illustrate the connections between sale barns, producers, and rural communities.
