The size of the U.S. herd was a subject during a rare weekend Congressional hearing. The House Ways and Means Committee was in California, where a former NCBA president set the record straight on consumer prices.
“I’d like just to say real quickly for high retail beef prices, it has nothing to do with tariffs, it’s simply a supply and demand issue. We have the lowest beef herd since 1961 here in the U.S. Consumer demand even at the high retail prices, U.S. consumer demand hasn’t dropped one iota to my happy surprise, and it’s because of the quality of beef here in the U.S., so it’s not related to tariffs or anything else, it’s simple supply and demand and and we just need to grow our beef for a little bit more,” said Kevin Kester, NCBA Past President & California rancher.
The newly reinstated July inventory report offered little hope that it will happen anytime soon. It shows a downward trend all across the board. All cattle and calves are down one percent. Steers are also down, dropping one percent on the year.
The number of cattle was also in the red. Inventory is down two percent on the year. Steers and steer calf numbers gained a percent during the same time. The number of heifers and heifer calves fell five percent from last year with placements down eight percent.
Tim and Sharyn Abbott of the Music City Celebration Sale preview the weekend’s premier auction, drawing breeders to Nashville again this year.
December 12, 2025 04:27 PM
·
Plan for sharp, short-term volatility after unexpected outages; permanent closures rarely trigger major price spread disruptions.
December 12, 2025 12:25 PM
·
Rising beef supplies and lower cattle prices, weaker hog markets, and softening dairy prices will shape producer margins heading into 2026.
December 11, 2025 01:32 PM
·
Outdated reporting thresholds reduce cash-market visibility and increase the urgency of comprehensive Mandatory Price Reporting reform.
December 10, 2025 07:00 PM
·
Rancher David Kroa of
One Man Ranch joins us to share the story of his remarkable Shorthorn cow, Trish, who is beating the odds.
December 10, 2025 12:11 PM
·
Cattle imports from Mexico remain stalled amid the New World screwworm outbreak. At the same time, Tyson closures add pressure on Nebraska producers and markets ahead of the USDA’s upcoming Cattle on Feed Report.
December 08, 2025 01:55 PM
·
The Lexington shutdown pushes national slaughter capacity utilization nearer long-run averages, underscoring how tight cattle supplies are reshaping packer operations.
December 06, 2025 06:00 AM
·
Texas livestock producers face a heightened biosecurity threat as New World screwworm detections in northern Mexico coincide with FDA approval of the first topical treatment.
December 05, 2025 11:27 AM
·
Rooster is a full-time farmhand, right-hand man on Shawn Raff’s cattle and dairy operation in Eatonton, Georgia.
December 04, 2025 11:48 AM
·
