Cattle producers face a complex market as economic signals and drought conditions create uncertainty. Ben Brown, an agricultural economist at the University of Missouri, says they are closely watching consumer economic signals and are concerned about potential declines impacting meat prices.

“Quite a few people are nervous that some of the consumer and macro-economic signals are starting to decline, and that could impact meat prices. There’s also a concern about the international markets. This week, the headline was about the Chinese government not renewing a license for U.S. meat export facilities and what that could mean for meat prices.”
 

Brown notes that most producers in his home state manage herds of 100 to 400 cow-calf pairs and that a significant concern for cattle producers is ongoing drought, particularly in Missouri, which has led to a lack of forage and earlier hay feeding.

“Southwest Missouri has a lot of beef cattle. In Southwest Missouri, we also had three years of intense and then sneaky drought is what I would call it. Last year we had some late season dryness that impacted the row crops. Well, that also caused a lot of cattle producers to start feeding hay in September and October across Missouri. So, drought has had a big impact in Missouri. Just a lack of forage, availability for livestock, and not enough pond water. That’s had a big impact.”
 

Additionally, Brown points out that some producers are taking advantage of high cattle prices to sell out, often due to retirement.

“I would also say we are seeing some shifts in demographics. That’s playing out in the data. Producers are choosing this as an opportunity to sell out, take advantage of high cattle prices, and sell out. You know, those cows are going down the road to a different operation. Well, I take that back. A lot of the cows are ending up in processing facilities.”

The combination of these factors has implications for feed usage, with smaller beef herds contributing to a decline in grain-consuming animal units. While overall feed consumption may see a slight decline, the agricultural community remains focused on market trends and weather conditions.