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.
Tyson’s closure reflects deep supply shortages in the U.S. cattle industry, tightening packing capacity, weakening competition, and signaling more volatility ahead for cow-calf producers and feedyards.
November 21, 2025 07:02 PM
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Screwworm.gov has targeted resources for a wide range of stakeholders, including livestock producers, veterinarians, animal health officials, wildlife professionals, healthcare providers, pet owners, researchers, drug manufacturers, and the general public.
November 21, 2025 02:09 PM
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Sen. Roger Marshall discusses the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and what expanded milk options could mean for students and dairy farmers. Industry groups say it is a win for student nutrition and dairy producers.
November 21, 2025 01:19 PM
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Crop producers face tightening credit and lower incomes, while strong cattle markets continue to stabilize finances in livestock-heavy regions.
November 21, 2025 11:58 AM
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Early Cattle-on-Feed estimates point to slightly tighter cattle supplies, reinforcing the need to monitor prices and timing for winter marketing.
November 21, 2025 10:45 AM
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Removing the 40% duty sharply lowers U.S. beef import costs on beef, coffee, fertilizer and fruit, and restores Brazil’s competitiveness during a period of tight domestic supply.
November 21, 2025 10:30 AM
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