CattleUSA Daily

Samantha and I are doing a Q&A today answering some of the most common questions she gets about LRP and how it actually works in today’s market. We run through everything from what it does, how coverage and premiums work, when it pays out, and how flexible it actually is depending on your operation. If you’ve ever been confused by LRP or just want a clearer understanding of how it fits into yo...

Gary is back, and this week’s conversation is all about the absolute roller coaster the weather has been on lately. From single digits to near 90 degrees in a matter of days, he breaks down what’s actually driving these swings and why this isn’t just “normal March weather.” They dig into drought concerns across Nebraska and the Plains, what Gary is seeing on his dashboard for rainfall over the nex...

John is back on the podcast to break down what’s happening in the cattle market and some of the bigger stories developing across the industry right now. John shares updates from the sale barns and what he’s seeing in terms of demand, pricing, and early signs of producers adjusting due to dry conditions. The conversation also covers the latest on the JBS Greeley plant shutdown, ongoing wildfire dev...

Today, Lauren sits down with Dan and Samantha once again to break down another volatile week in the cattle market and why prices continue to push higher despite all the noise. Dan and Samantha walk through the recent rally across live and feeder cattle, what’s been driving the sharp swings in the market, and how outside factors like global conflict, energy prices, and the stock market are playing...

In this episode, Lauren breaks down a hard truth: durability is no longer enough. The ranching environment has fundamentally changed. Markets move faster. Weather patterns are less predictable. Interest rates shift quickly. Input costs spike without warning. Consumer demand reacts in real time. In a structurally volatile system, rigidity becomes a liability. Adaptability is now the competitive adv...

This week, Lauren sits down with Emma Coffman to talk about the latest movement surrounding the 2026 farm bill after it advanced out of the House Agriculture Committee. Emma explains why agriculture has been operating under repeated extensions of the 2018 farm bill, the ongoing gridlock surrounding SNAP funding, and why updating the bill is critical as producers face rising input costs and market...

Today Lauren is joined once again by Gary Lezak to discuss the latest weather developments impacting producers across the Midwest and Plains. Gary shares insight into the recent severe weather outbreaks that brought large hail and storms across Kansas and surrounding states and explains how those events fit into a larger repeating weather cycle he tracks in his long-range forecasting model. The co...

Lauren sits down with John Campbell to talk through what we’re seeing in the cattle market right now after another strong week of sales across the region. John shares updates from the sale barns, explains why demand for stocker and feeder cattle is holding strong despite volatility in the futures market, and answers questions he’s been hearing from producers about where the market may be headed. T...

This week, Lauren sits down with Derek Thompson to talk about the story behind NextGen Cattle and how the operation has grown from a feedyard purchase in 2017 into a multi-breed seedstock and cattle feeding business built around the commercial cattle producer. Derek shares how his background in financial services eventually led him back to the cattle business, why NextGen built its model around th...

This week, Lauren is joined by Samantha Cozza-Wright and first-time guest Andrea VanHorn to break down a volatile week in the cattle market. The conversation covers softer cash cattle trade, stronger yearling demand, the market impact of the potential JBS Greeley disruption, growing national attention on beef prices, and why risk management tools matter in a market that continues to react quickly...

In this episode, Lauren and Samantha break down Livestock Risk Protection in practical terms. They move beyond the surface-level explanation and walk through what LRP quotes actually look like, how to read them, how premiums are calculated, how coverage levels work, and what a real claim scenario looks like from start to finish. If LRP has ever felt confusing or intimidating, this episode simplifi...

Lauren and Gary break down the weirdest part of this winter: it basically never happened in key areas. With snow totals far behind normal in Colorado and drought already expanding across Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming, the conversation gets real about what March tells us about drought trajectory, fire risk, severe weather timing, and the major heat wave expected around early August. Gary explains...

This week, Lauren and John Campbell cover two big things: strong demand in the sale barn despite recent futures turmoil, and a major USDA shift aimed at what they’re calling “ag lawfare.” John breaks down a new “Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework” tied to USDA Secretary Rollins, focused on protecting producers, pushing back on regulatory overreach, and creating a formal channel for ranchers to r...

This week, Lauren, Dan, and Samantha break down a volatile cattle market that saw cash fats fold late in the week, packers regain leverage, and futures react sharply to outside headlines. With slaughter brushing historic lows, boxed beef holding stronger than seasonal norms, and global tensions adding uncertainty, the crew unpacks what’s driving the softness, what’s still supportive, and how risk...

In this episode, Lauren tackles the constraint most ranchers don’t want to admit: labor. Not rain. Not markets. Not feed costs. People. From calving windows to pasture rotation, expansion plans to burnout, labor quietly dictates what an operation can sustainably handle. Lauren breaks down how labor drag hides in daily inefficiencies, why expansion without redesign creates stress instead of profit,...

In this episode, Lauren delivers a direct but necessary message: moving home to the ranch does not automatically create income. Most operations are built to support one household, not two. Before anyone loads a trailer and heads back, the financial math must be clear. This episode breaks down how to evaluate ranch financials honestly, the three sustainable ways to move home without creating strain...

After years of greenhouse gas regulation tied to diesel engines and DEF systems, the EPA has reversed course. In this episode, Lauren and Emma break down the original 2009 endangerment finding under the Clean Air Act, how it led to diesel emission requirements, and what the 2025 reconsideration means for agriculture, trucking, and rural industries. They also tackle the broader conversation around...

This week, Lauren and John cover two things hitting rural America at the same time: wildfire recovery efforts that are still unfolding, and a major EPA shift that could change the regulatory landscape for agriculture and diesel-dependent industries. John shares why continued fire relief matters long after the headlines fade, then breaks down the reported rollback of the 2009 “endangerment finding”...

This week, Lauren, Dan, and Samantha break down a cattle market that feels strong on paper but refuses to break out. The CME Feeder Cattle Index pushed to record highs near 377, yet futures remain well behind cash. With a historically wide feeder-to-fat spread, packers searching for leverage, softer exports, heavier carcass weights, and headline-driven volatility, the market continues to trade sid...

If you feed hay and you do not test it, you are guessing. And guessing in ruminant nutrition is expensive. In this episode, Lauren breaks down the science behind hay testing, what those lab numbers actually mean, and how they connect directly to reproduction, intake, milk production, and profitability. From crude protein and TDN to fiber fractions and mineral deficiencies, this conversation explai...

What happens when the entire ranch depends on one person? One decision maker. One problem solver. One brain holding the system together. It looks strong. It looks efficient. But it’s fragile. In this episode, Lauren breaks down key person dependency in ranching, why it quietly weakens operations over time, and how leadership is not about being irreplaceable. It’s about building systems, shared res...

This week, Lauren and Emma step away from markets to address the devastating wildfires burning across the Oklahoma Panhandle and southern Kansas. With more than 283,000 acres affected and containment still ongoing at the time of recording, ranchers are facing cattle losses, destroyed infrastructure, burned grazing ground, and long-term recovery challenges. This episode breaks down what we know, wh...

Cattle markets continue their historic climb with seven-dollar calves, feeder cattle pushing new highs, and fed cattle trading near $2.50. Demand remains strong and buying depth continues to surprise producers across the Plains. But this week’s market strength is overshadowed by devastating wildfires across southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle. With over 200,000 acres burned, ranchers are f...

This week the team digs into a strong cash cattle rally, a technical breakout in futures, and what finally gave the board something real to price. Cash traded up to 250 in spots, feeders were choppy, and open interest suggests managed money still believes in the move. But under the surface, cow slaughter is ticking higher, dairy liquidation is adding volume, and March and April supplies may not be...

Lauren and Gary open with a little real-life adulting before diving into what matters for producers right now. Moisture is finally showing up in some areas, but the bigger story is timing. Gary breaks down where the LRC cycle is headed next, why Kansas and Nebraska still need to watch late March into mid-April closely, and what a potential early April hard freeze could mean for winter wheat. They...