The cattle industry – and beef in particular – has been in the headlines more than usual this year with record-breaking prices for beef and cattle. The market dynamics – long known and anticipated by the industry – have even draw the attention of President Trump, who immediately and incorrectly took credit for producer profits. With the cattle industry finding itself surprisingly in the center of a headline blizzard and with the January Cattle Inventory report coming in a few months (assuming America has a functioning government by then), an analysis and forecasting effort of the cattle herd outlook is germane. This outlook will be valuable for gauging cattle supplies in 2026 and 2027 and will help set pricing expect...

TAGS – Livestock, North America