Since 1938 the U.S. cattle industry has faced at least eight cycles, rotating from low points in supplies to peaks, and starting all over again.
Historically, cattle cycles typically last ten to eleven years.
With the current cycle about to hit year eleven, many are asking if we’re now due for the cattle herd to rebuild. One expert says that we are not quite there yet.
According to Dr. Josh Maples, “We’re going to have declining supplies in 2024 too, so we are about to hit year eleven of this current cycle. Now, the amazing thing or the interesting thing, whatever you want to say, is all these cycles are about ten years long. You know, we’ve only had two of them that have gone longer than eleven years, and we’re about to hit year eleven. The end of these cycles are characterized by stronger prices, typically. It’s those stronger prices that incentivize producers to hold back efforts to not cull their cows as deep as they have been, which will ultimately lead to more cash being produced the following year and we’re just not there yet. We’re not there yet. I can’t see the end of this cycle yet.”
Today’s U.S. beef herd has reached lows not seen in more than 70 years, totaling just over 87 million head.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council published a joint press release regarding the advancement of legislation to delist the Mexican Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
January 23, 2026 05:05 PM
Placements and marketings beat expectations, but declining on-feed totals and feeder constraints keep the supply story supportive for cattle prices into 2026. Dr. Derrell Peel, with Oklahoma State University, joined us to break down cattle-on-feed numbers and provide his broader market outlook.
January 23, 2026 04:40 PM
·
USDA Rural Development Director for Kentucky, Travis Burton, joined us to discuss the Princeton facility (formerly Porter Road Meats), now backed by the USDA, and its role in expanding domestic meat processing capacity.
January 23, 2026 03:39 PM
·
Nearly everyone in the South Texas ag community appears extremely worried about the potential of a New World screwworm epidemic, according to a local veterinarian. RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey reports.
January 23, 2026 11:56 AM
·
Brian Earnest, an animal protein economist with CoBank, shares insights into current demand trends and the challenges facing broiler production.
January 22, 2026 06:34 PM
·
Jack Hubbard, with the Center for the Environment and Welfare, shares context and perspective on the controversial letter about Prop 12 circulating in Washington and how a review shows it misled the public.
January 22, 2026 06:25 PM
·
