The big news on the livestock side of today’s WASDE was USDA’s reduction in the fed cattle price forecast.
Prices for 2024 were trimmed by $3/cwt and USDA dropped its forecast for 2025 annual average prices by $5/cwt from $191/cwt last month to $186 this month. The supply and demand situation hasn’t changed significantly, but prices have been bearish. Last week was the first time since the first week of March 2023 (when prices exceeded those from the same week in 2015) that cattle prices fell below the previous weekly record.
The forecast for beef production was increased. The WASDE cited higher cow slaughter and heavier cattle weights in the second half of the year. Slaughter weights are up about 30 pounds from last...
What You Need to Know Today: The Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE) rose 4.1 percent year-over-year, in line with expectations. Core PCE, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose 3.4 percent year-over-year, also in line with expectations. Bayer secured a favorable Suprem...
USDA released its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report for 1 June today. There were 73.7 million head, which was down slightly from 1 June 2025, as well as from 1 March 2026. The hog herd sits at the same level it was on 1 September 2025 and is the lowest for June since 2023. From 2016, after the re...
Key Takeaways: Despite rising cost pressures — including the recent run-up in fuel and energy costs — U.S. cow-calf producers are facing another year of record-breaking revenues and net returns for 2026. Cost pressures — particularly non-feed variable costs — and...
