This has been an interesting year in the beef market.  Lance Zimmerman, RaboResearch beef analyst, said demand remains high despite tighter supplies and higher prices.

 

“Right now, when we talk about the cattle and beef markets, we’re in a unique place. The beef cow herd is in five years of decline because of drought and other challenges we’ve seen. Consumer beef demand is five percent higher than last year and the highest it’s been at any point since 1986. So, even with the pressures we all talk about on consumers today, beef’s been resilient, and that’s allowed the cattle markets to be stronger.”

 

Other countries, Zimmerman noted, are beginning to imitate the U.S. in feeding their cattle grain for a longer period.

 

“I think one of the biggest things we see in the U.S., unlike a lot of other beef-consuming countries around the globe, is our system is grain fed, and long grain fed at that," Zimmerman added.  "So, there are other countries that are leaning more into grain fed, obviously Brazil, Mexico, and even Australia.”

 

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