Section
Cattle, grain, inputs, and what it means for your margin.
7 stories
Culls are 15 to 20 percent of a cow-calf operation's income, and the market for them has a seasonal pattern as reliable as the calendar. Prices bottom when everybody culls, in November and December, and peak in spring. When to sell a thin cow, when to feed her first, and how the grades work.
Oct 5
Once a month USDA tells you how many cattle are in the big feedlots, how many went in, and how many came out. The numbers move the market for a week. What each line means, what the trade is really watching, and why placements are the one that matters for a cow-calf operator.
Sep 27
The national cattle herd sits at a multi-decade low and demand is the strongest in forty years. What's missing is heifer retention — which is why analysts keep pushing real expansion out another year.
Sep 10
A late-August rally built on falling crop ratings and Black Sea shipping trouble has the trade looking for USDA to cut the corn yield below 180 on September 11. Cattle feeders are watching the same report from the other side.
Sep 9
Beijing committed to 25 million tons a year through 2028. Through mid-August it had booked 5.7 million of the 2026 crop, plus a big flash sale. But a 10 percent tariff still points private crushers to Brazil, and U.S. beans are trading 50 to 60 cents over.
Sep 8
August Class III came in at $16.64. With feed costs climbing on the grain rally, the September Dairy Margin Coverage margin is projected around $8.23, under the $8.50 Tier I trigger. Payments are expected through December.
Sep 3
Placements down 11 percent, marketings down 7 percent, both record lows for July. On-feed inventory is still 2 percent above last year because cattle are staying on feed longer. What the numbers say about the next six months.
Sep 2