The Cattle Market Guys Podcast

Feeder cattle prices climbed again this week, with 500-549 lb steers reaching $401.79/cwt, up $21.89 from a month ago, even as just 17.8% of U.S. cattle purchases now trade on the negotiated cash market. With feeder supplies historically tight and pasture conditions deteriorating, Brock and Jim break down what's driving the rally and what producers should watch next. Brock and Jim review the...

Feeder steer prices are surging on heavy volume, with 500-549 lb steers at $401.79/cwt, up $21.89 from a month ago. Meanwhile, negotiated cash trade has shrunk to just 17.8% of cattle purchases, and feeder supplies are tightening into 2027. In this Tuesday Market Update for September 29, Brock and Jim break down the latest cattle prices and model forecasts, which show a small pullback next week be...

Cattle markets are caught in a tug-of-war: feeder cattle prices bounced hard week-over-week even as futures whipsawed through a third straight losing session before rallying on surprise placement numbers. Add in the lowest August marketings since 1996 and a screwworm case popping up just two days before a critical border crossing is set to reopen, and producers have a lot of moving pieces to track...

A major New Mexico livestock port is reopening next week after zero new screwworm cases were detected, and it's already sending shockwaves through cattle futures. With Santa Teresa handling 43% of all cattle imports crossing the border, this reopening is the driving force behind a genuinely choppy week in the feeder cattle market. In this Week in Review episode, Brock and Jim break down the m...

Feeder cattle prices just dropped nearly $47 in a month, and futures traders are already pricing in risk from a confirmed screwworm case in southern Texas—the first U.S. horse infection near the border. With USDA slashing its 2026-2027 cattle price outlook while corn costs climb, producers are facing a tangled mix of short-term futures strength and long-term caution. In this Tuesday Market Update,...

Feeder cattle prices just took a brutal hit — 500-549 lb steers are down nearly $49 per hundredweight in just thirty days, and the 600-649 lb class isn't far behind. Brock and Jim break down whether this correction is the start of something bigger or just a market catching its breath before the next move. In this Week in Review episode, Brock and Jim dig into three major storylines shaping th...

Only 18% of pasture and range conditions are rated good to excellent this week, down sharply from 38% a year ago, and drought coverage across the lower 48 has expanded over 23% in the past month alone. With Tyson Foods slashing its profit outlook twice in one month and cattle futures cooling from August highs, producers are facing a market squeeze from multiple directions at once. In this Tuesday...

Cattle prices are cratering as feeder steers drop nearly $25 per hundredweight in just five weeks, and a controversial tariff proclamation benefiting Brazilian beef imports has producers demanding Washington "stay out of the way." Meanwhile, pasture conditions have collapsed to just 18% Good-to-Excellent—down from 38% a year ago—signaling a supply squeeze that could reshape the market fo...

Feeder cattle prices are sliding fast, and a controversial tariff waiver on Brazilian beef imports is only adding to the chaos. Brock and Jim break down why the cash market and policy headlines are pulling cattle futures in opposite directions this week. In this Tuesday Market Update, Brock and Jim dig into the weekly cattle price snapshot, with 500-549 weight steers down over $24 from a month ago...

Feeder cattle futures took a beating this week, with 500-549 weight steers sliding $22 off their July highs and 600-649 weight steers forecast to drop another $27 in just seven days. Three separate down days, three separate causes — and Brock and Jim break down why the cattle market got hit from every direction at once. In this Friday wrap of Cattle Market Guys, Brock and Jim unpack the week'...

Trump's surprise 90-day tariff waiver just cracked open the door to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef, and cattle producers are furious—even as feeder cattle prices are already sliding hard and fast. Brock and Jim break down why this move eerily echoes a 1986 trade decision that hammered feeder prices before tight domestic supply forced a rebound, and question whether history is about to r...

Feeder cattle prices are sliding hard across the board, and USDA's WASDE report just extended the bearish outlook all the way through 2027. With plant closures, border tariffs looming, and a new screwworm case threatening Mexican import hopes, cattle producers are facing pressure from every direction this week. In this Friday wrap, Brock and Jim break down the latest cash and futures numbers,...

Tyson just pulled the trigger on a historic contraction—closing or selling three beef plants while bracing for a staggering $650 million operating loss in fiscal 2026. With roughly 10,000 head per day in processing capacity vanishing almost overnight, Brock and Jim break down why this "historic cattle shortage" is reshaping where producers can even sell their cattle. In this Tuesday upda...

Tyson is anchoring its entire beef business around just three plants, JBS is shutting down harvesting at its Souderton, Pennsylvania facility today, and USDA is calling this one of the most historic cattle shortages on record. Yet despite that tightening supply, USDA just lowered its cattle price forecasts through 2027 — a contradiction that has Brock and Jim digging into what's really drivin...

Feeder cattle have come off their summer highs, but the lighter steers are already firming back up—500- to 549-pound steers ticked up to over $417 per hundredweight this past week—and Brock and Jim break down why the trend still points higher.. With feeder and stocker marketings running 23.2% below the three-year average, the underlying supply story remains tight, even as futures whipsaw on unrela...

Feeder cattle prices just took a serious tumble—five hundred to five-forty-nine pound steers dropped from $463.08 to $408.76 per hundredweight in just five weeks, and the six-hundred-weight class fell even harder. But with national forecasts pointing to a rebound and futures hitting three-week highs before wobbling again, the cattle market is delivering whiplash few saw coming. In this Friday wrap...

Cattle futures just snapped a brutal 15-day losing streak, feeder cattle prices are sliding fast on lighter weights, and the US-Mexico border is finally set to reopen for cattle trade after screwworm shutdowns. This week's Cattle Market Guys breaks down whether the worst is over—or just beginning. Brock and Jim dive into a volatile week for the cattle market, starting with feeder cattle cash...

Cattle futures just hit a four-month low, feeder cattle prices are sliding on thin volume, and now USDA drops a bombshell: the US-Mexico border is reopening to cattle trade after more than a year of screwworm-driven shutdowns. Brock and Jim break down why this Tuesday's numbers matter more than most. On this episode of Cattle Market Guys, Brock and Jim dig into the latest feeder cattle price...

Live cattle futures just suffered fifteen straight losing sessions in July, dragging prices to a four-month low before finally stabilizing—but is this a genuine fundamental breakdown or just the board working through paper losses? Brock and Jim break down why cash cattle weakness and summer demand seasonality sparked the slide, and why USDA's WASDE report still projects firm prices for the ba...

Cattle futures just hit their lowest close since March, and it's not from one bad day — it's three straight sessions of chart-driven selling stacked on weak cash trade and sagging wholesale beef prices. Brock and Jim break down why the board lost roughly eight dollars in under a month, and why hog futures climbing at the same time proves this is a cattle-specific correction, not a broad...

Cash cattle prices tumbled seven dollars this week, but feeder and stocker marketings ran nearly 40% below the three-year average—creating the kind of thin, choppy market that can swing hard in either direction. Add in a stunning USDA export data error that slashed beef sales figures by 90%, and producers have a lot to untangle this week. Brock and Jim break down the latest cash and futures data,...

Cattle inventories just hit their lowest levels since the 1950s, yet Walmart slashed ground beef prices 12% after political pressure — and cattle futures have now fallen for seven straight sessions. Brock and Jim break down how tight supply, soft retail pricing, and volatile feed costs are colliding to create a confusing market picture for producers heading into summer. In this Friday wrap for the...

Packer losses have deepened to a staggering $295 per head as corn futures surge and boxed beef values soften — and that squeeze from both directions is putting hedging strategy front and center for cattle producers right now. Meanwhile, Brazil just raised its full-year trade surplus forecast to $90 billion, fueled by record beef exports that are eating into US market share. In this Tuesday market...

The Trump administration just dropped a bombshell: USMCA will not be extended, triggering a 10-year wind-down clock that has farm groups sounding alarms across the agricultural sector. With feeder cattle prices hitting historic highs and the cattle herd now the tightest since the 1950s, this week's Cattle Market Guys breaks down why the market is bracing for impact before the data even arrive...

The U.S. and Mexico just opened a $50 million sterile fly facility in Chiapas capable of producing 100 million flies per week — and it may be the most important biosecurity development for cattle producers in years. New World screwworm cases are creeping north, and this is the primary weapon to push the eradication line back. Jim shares firsthand history from the original eradication effort that p...