The Cattle Market Guys Podcast

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...

Cattle futures swung in two opposite directions in just 48 hours — and New World Screwworm detections are actively climbing across the southern tier. Both stories carry serious implications for cattle producers heading into the second half of 2026. This week's episode breaks down what's driving the volatility and what producers need to do right now. Brock and Jim open with a detailed mar...

New World screwworm has reached 15 confirmed cases in the United States, with three new Texas animals testing positive in the latest reporting period — and a critical sterile fly facility won't come online until late 2027. For cattle producers across the southern half of the country, the window for early detection is now, and Brock and Jim break down exactly what to watch for and who to call....

Twelve confirmed screwworm cases on U.S. soil, $105 million in federal response funding, and a July 1st USMCA deadline that farm groups are calling potentially catastrophic — the cattle industry is navigating a minefield of compounding risks. This week on Cattle Market Guys, Brock and Jim break down everything producers in the southern tier and beyond need to know before it's too late to act....

JBS USA just shuttered two major beef processing facilities — and the ripple effects are already hitting cattle futures and producer margins hard. When a packing plant goes dark, the hurt doesn't stop at the front gate. It rolls all the way back to the pasture. In this Tuesday Market Update, Brock and Jim break down a volatile week in cattle markets, starting with a meaningful price slide sin...

Screwworm has moved from threat to confirmed reality — with cases now verified in both Texas and New Mexico, Mexico has suspended live animal imports from the United States. This week's episode of Cattle Market Guys breaks down what that means for producers and the broader cattle trade. Brock and Jim open with the market snapshot for the week of June 12, 2026, walking through feeder steer pri...

New World Screwworm has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties, and it's moving fast — at least four cases across Zavala and La Salle counties in a matter of days, triggering a livestock quarantine, a disaster declaration, and immediate ripple effects across both the cash and futures markets. This is the most significant livestock biosecurity threat to hit the U.S. in decades, and ranchers...

A confirmed New World Screwworm detection in South Texas sent feeder cattle futures tumbling this week — and the market reacted exactly the way markets always do: fear first, facts later. For producers across the Southwest, this isn't an abstract biosecurity concern. It's a direct threat to cattle movement, market confidence, and trade relationships. On this week's episode of Cattle...

A screwworm detection just 31 miles from the US border has USDA on high alert — and for a cattle herd already at historically tight supply levels, the timing couldn't be worse. If this parasite crosses into the United States, the damage to an already fragile rebuilding cycle could be severe. In this Tuesday market update, Brock and Jim break down a meaningful two-week price pullback in feeder...

Cattle futures whipped in three different directions in a single week — and the forces driving that volatility have serious implications for producers with cattle to move this summer. With higher-than-expected feedlot placements, elevated fuel prices hammering consumer purchasing power, and pork cutout values quietly climbing, the beef demand picture is flashing yellow. In this Friday wrap for the...

Feeder cattle futures hit limit down after the USDA's May cattle on feed report landed sharply above market expectations — and the selloff didn't stop there. For producers with cattle to move this summer, the price risk picture changed fast, and Brock and Jim break down exactly what happened and what it means. In this Tuesday Market Update, Brock and Jim open with a detailed look at feed...

Feeder cattle prices are sliding, futures whipsawed three times in three days, and a screwworm outbreak on the southern border is costing Mexico nearly two billion dollars in livestock losses. For U.S. cattle producers, this week delivered a perfect storm of market volatility, global trade shifts, and escalating biosecurity threats — all hitting at once. In this Friday wrap, Brock and Jim break do...

US cattle supplies have just hit a 75-year low — and the futures market is reacting with the kind of volatility that hasn't been seen in decades. At the same time, a landmark US-China trade agreement has committed Beijing to purchasing at least $17 billion in American agricultural products annually through 2028, explicitly reopening beef and poultry trade between the two nations. These two se...

Cattle markets delivered one of the most volatile weeks in recent memory — and somehow came out the other side looking stronger than ever. Cash fed cattle prices surged to $265 live and $410 dressed by midweek, even as CME futures whipsawed violently on competing headlines about beef import tariffs out of Washington. The divergence between a cash market driven by razor-thin physical supply and a f...

Feeder cattle prices are softening just as Washington threatens to flood the market with Brazilian beef — and the futures market is flashing warning signals that cattle producers cannot afford to ignore. The Trump administration is expected to temporarily reduce beef import tariffs on Brazilian product following a White House meeting between President Trump and Brazilian President Lula — a meeting...

The Department of Justice has formally expanded its antitrust investigation into Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef over beef pricing practices. This development comes as Tyson Foods reports its beef division is losing up to $500 million despite raising overall profit outlook. Market analysts suggest this investigation could significantly impact cattle prices and producer relationships with pa...

Cattle futures have risen for five consecutive sessions amid growing concerns over the New World Screwworm outbreak, with emergency treatments now authorized by the FDA. The USDA has broken ground on a sterile fly facility in Texas as part of containment efforts, while expectations for reopening the US-Mexico border to cattle imports continue to fade. This health crisis is creating significant mar...

Record-breaking ground beef demand and suspended Mexican cattle imports are creating a perfect storm for elevated cattle prices, with six-weight steers trading at $415.51/cwt. Despite forecasts showing some softening in heavier cattle over the coming weeks, the market fundamentals remain strong heading into summer. Meanwhile, University of Nebraska researchers have developed a promising H5N1 vacci...

**Cattle futures slide for six consecutive sessions as demand concerns grow for high-priced beef. Front-month contracts settle at $374.15/cwt while cash markets see northern cattle trading down $2 from last week at $246 live and $386 dressed. Is this the beginning of a deeper price correction or just a temporary market adjustment? Brock and Jim analyze what this means for producers heading into su...

BREAKING MARKET ALERT: Cattle prices holding strong despite forecasted volatility ahead! While 600-649 pound steers maintain strength at $421.89/cwt, experts predict a rollercoaster pattern over the next four weeks with prices dipping before climbing back to $423.63/cwt. The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report shows tightening supplies that could support stronger prices through 2026. In this week&ap...

**Front-month cattle futures hit contract high of $251.78, soaring $5.57 week-over-week! Heavy volume trading continues with 600-649lb steers moving at $420.81/cwt while lighter weights command premium prices. Packers are bidding aggressively as beef quality trends shift dramatically toward Prime and Choice grades.** In this week's market wrap-up, Brock and Jim analyze the striking upward mov...

The recent labor agreement at the JBS USA Greeley beef facility has ended three weeks of market uncertainty that was creating ripple effects throughout the cattle supply chain. This resolution highlights how labor disputes in meatpacking directly impact producer profits when cattle can't move on schedule. Brock and Jim analyze what this settlement means for market stability heading into summe...