E182: No February Lull for the Cattle Markets

The smallest cattle herd in the history of USDA reporting is currently standing in the US as we speak, and the reduced stock extends from feeder and grass calves all the way to heifers and bred cattle. On top of that, tough winter weather at the start of the year has curbed slaughter weights, making a beef market that’s still hungry for product even hungrier. DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to discuss all of these bullish headwinds and much more, as we dive into the most recent USDA outlooks, the regional weather picture, and what we’re likely to see in the Cattle on Feed report later this week. We’ll dig into the details of slaughter pace and consumer demand in what’s traditionally a slow time of the year. Then we’ll talk about the feed picture, impacts of global import and export figures, and look ahead to how producers might want to be thinking about decision-making in the year ahead. We’ll tackle all this, and hear how things are going on ShayLe’s family cattle operation.