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Beef Economics & Markets

Guides on market analysis, risk management, cost control and value-added.

Market Analysis

• A Record Brand Year Is Not Your YearBig sales at the meat case do not pay your note. Here is how to read the numbers.
• A Billion-Pound Year, Read StraightWhat the sales numbers say about demand, and what they leave out.
• Two Million Carcasses, One LessonWhat a big carcass study says about the cattle that miss, and what you can do with it.
• The 17-Inch Ribeye Window: What Changed at the RailCAB moved the ribeye ceiling from 16 to 17 square inches. Here is what that does for your cattle.
• Fifty More Pounds on the RailThe brand raised its carcass weight cap in 2022. Here is what that really did for heavy cattle.
• Four in Ten: Reading the CAB Pass RateWhat the Certified Angus Beef acceptance rate means when you are the one selling the cattle.
• Nearly One in Four Fed CattleThe brand's share of harvest more than tripled. Here is what that tells a seller.
• Beef Market Forecasts: What a Cattleman Should BelieveBig global numbers make good headlines and poor business plans. Here is how to sort them out.
• The Ribeye Rule and What It SkipsWhy a big eye can still qualify on a chuck or round but not on a loin.
• Prime Grade Numbers, Straight Talk for CattlemenWhat the Prime percentages really tell you, and what they leave out of the check.
• Seedstock Sold High: What It Tells a Commercial ManRegistered Angus prices are climbing, and a commercial rancher should read the signs carefully.
• What an $8,395 Bull Average Means for the Man Buying or Selling Angus SeedstockRecord bull and female prices are good news for some of you and a warning for others.
• What a Patagonia Angus Trial Teaches Us About Forage and FinishCold country, Angus-cross cattle, and a lab report that cuts against the easy story.
• When Feed Prices Jump: What a Cow-Calf Man Does About ItYou cannot control the market. You can control waste, herd size and how early you buy.
• Where the Angus Business Is HeadedBetter genetic tests, tougher claims and a picky buyer. Here is how to stay ahead of all three.

Risk Management

• Buying Feeder Calves with AngusLink Tags: What the Scorecard Tells YouA green tag and a number from 0 to 200 are worth something, but you still have to look at the cattle.
• Carbon Credit Talk for Cattlemen: Cash, Contracts and CatchesBefore you let a stranger measure your grass, read what you are signing.
• Hay or Bought Feed: Picking Your Risk on a Small Cow HerdEvery winter feed plan is a bet. Here is how to make yours with your eyes open.
• Hold the Heifers or Take the MoneyA seedstock man's guide to growing the herd or selling when the market is hot.
• Signing a Carbon Deal on Your Ranch: Read Every Line TwiceSomebody wants to pay you for grass. Before you shake hands, find out what you are really giving up.
• Fewer Certified Carcasses, Tighter MarketThe brand lost 2.9 percent of its carcass supply. A cattleman's read on what that means for you.

Cost Control

• Big Ribeye or Brand CheckThe size limits cost cattlemen money when cattle outgrow the box, and the market keeps pushing weights up.
• Carcass to Case: Where the Pounds GoA cattleman's walk down the rail, from hot carcass to boxed beef, and where the money lands.
• Cutting Cost per Cow: Feed, Hay, Labor and Where the Money Really GoesMost cow-calf men know what calves sold for and not what each cow cost. Here is how to find your number and which line items are worth fighting over.
• Dark Cutters and Blood SplashTwo defects that cost you at the packer, and which one you can actually do something about.
• Feed Is the Big Check: Where Cost of Gain Really Comes FromIf you finish cattle, feed is the bill that decides whether you made money. Here is how to keep it in line.
• Heavy Cattle, Hard Limit: The Cost of Overshooting 1,100The brand's weight cap moved up, but a heavy steer can still cost you money.
• The Size Specs a Feeder Cannot IgnoreRibeye area, carcass weight and fat cover decide whether a good carcass pays like one.
• Prime Premium Per Head: What the Check Really SaysA reported number is not your number. Do the math on your own cattle before you chase it.
• Seaweed in the Feed Bunk: Does It Cut Methane and Does It Pay?Trials show real cuts. Whether it earns its keep on your place is a different question.
• Supplement When the Cow Needs It, Not When the Calendar Says SoFeed the nutrient she is short on, at the point in the year it matters, and quit paying for the rest.
• Too Much Fat on the Hide Side: Backfat and the CAB LineOne inch of backfat is the limit, and some cattle blow past it.

Value-Added

• Beef That Eats Well: What Fat Genetics Mean for the Angus ManThe fat in a steak is partly inherited. Here is what is known, what is not, and what to do about it.
• The Camera on the RailA straight look at the imaging systems grading your cattle and what they mean for cross calves.
• Carbon Talk and Export Beef: What To Do About ItForeign buyers may ask about carbon. Here is how to answer without selling yourself a story.
• Climate Targets and the Cattleman: What the Goals Mean for Your RanchIndustry groups have set dates. Here is what is real, what got dropped and what it means at the gate.
• Filling Your Own Freezer: From Pasture to ProcessorRaising or buying a steer for the freezer saves money only if you plan it. Finishing, processor booking, inspection rules and cut sheets.
• Grass-Finished Angus: Selling the FlavorA man's look at what grass does to beef and how to sell what you actually raise.
• Grass-Finished or Grain-Finished: What You Gain and What You Give UpPick the finish that fits your grass and your buyer, not the one with the best slogan.
• Heavy Carcass, Oversized Steak: The Cut Size ProblemYou can raise a bigger steer, but nobody wants a steak that hangs off the plate.
• Hump Over Two Inches Costs YouA black hide gets you to the door. The neck gets checked after that.
• Inside the Steak: What Lab Work Says About Angus FatResearchers counted the fat compounds in Angus beef from different finishing systems. Here is what a cattleman can use.
• Modest Marbling: The Line That PaysWhere the premium line sits on the rail and what a cattleman can do to land on the right side of it.
• Hormone-Free, Antibiotic-Free, Natural: Paperwork and Plain TruthA label claim is a promise you have to prove from the calving pen to the cut-and-wrap.
• Reading the Packer's GridThe grid is a price list for carcass traits. Learn to read it before you load cattle.
• Regenerative Beef and Omega-3: What You Can SayThe claim sells beef. The fine print decides whether it holds up.
• Talking Sustainability Without Getting BurnedA plain-spoken way to describe what you do on the land without a claim you cannot back up.
• Ten Boxes a Carcass Has to CheckThe CAB spec sheet from a cattleman's side of the fence, and where cattle actually fail.
• Ten Specs, Ten Ways to MissWalk the CAB checklist like a pre-trip inspection and know where your cattle fall short.