Anyone following the beef and cattle markets recently has seen the volatility that preceded the recent surge to new contract highs, and the lack of consensus in the industry’s outlook. Now, the outlook is further complicated by the tariffs that will be placed on Mexican feeder cattle imports, Canadian fed cattle imports, and beef imports (from Canada, Australia, and Mexico, in particular), not to mention the likely pending retaliatory measures against U.S. exports. Amid this dynamic (to say the least) backdrop, WPI offers our outlook for the 2025 cattle and beef markets. Briefly, our models anticipate strong domestic beef demand to combine with reduced slaughter and beef production to create a price-supportive environment for producer...

TAGS – Livestock, North America, Macroeconomics