Posts by Paul Dykstra :

Record Weights Support Fed Cattle Decline

Date: Nov 04 2026

| CAB Insider

Escalating fed cattle weights simply cannot be overlooked in the beef supply equation. Finished cattle weights, harvest throughput and feedlot currentness don’t have the same relationship today as they did just a few years ago.

Strong Sales Amidst Fewer Carcasses

Date: Oct 21 2026

| CAB Insider

Increasingly smaller annual fed cattle supplies have been a constraint since peak harvest levels for the current cycle topped harvest volume in 2022. Subsequent years have meant historic profitability to the cattle sector, yet growth in Certified Angus Beef ® sales have largely been achieved through the diligent work of downstream brand partners.

Price Spreads Widen, Robust Quality

Date: Oct 07 2026

| CAB Insider

The boxed beef market posted massive year-over-year increases beginning in April 2025. The remainder of the 2025 market featured an average 19.9% increase in the USDA Comprehensive Cutout (all grades, all delivery periods). The pattern largely remained intact as the first five months of 2026 recorded a 14.8% annual price jump for the period.

Ends and Thin Meats Rise Over Time

Date: Sep 09 2026

| CAB Insider

The contribution of each beef cut to total carcass value is  best assessed on a weighted price basis. This matters, given the vast differences in scale weight that exist among the seven primals. Of course, price-per-pound differences  show the same general relationships, but tend to exaggerate the importance of price shifts for the lighter-weight cuts.

It’s Not Just Days on Feed

Date: Aug 26 2026

| CAB Insider

The August 1 Cattle on Feed report indicates that the number of cattle in feedyards with more than 1,000 head capacity was 1.8% larger than a year ago. It’s widely understood that, despite a smaller cowherd, the growth in feedyard occupancy has come from the strong uptrend in the duration of feedyard stays (i.e. days on feed). 

Heifers Dip Low in Harvest Mix

Date: Aug 12 2026

| CAB Insider

The recovery status in U.S. beef cow numbers in the U.S remains a top-five issue in the beef complex. Hand-over-fist increases in feeder cattle values over the past two years have provided indications that 2026 would bring about the cycle-low in calf head counts.

Shifting July Markets

Date: Jul 29 2026

| CAB Insider

The July beef market has undergone a seasonal downtrend characteristic of historical performance for the month. Conclusion of the Independence Day holiday normally brings about a marked decline in middle meat demand as summer temperatures elevate.

Seasonal Carcass Impacts

Date: Jul 01 2026

| CAB Insider

An overriding theme across the past 18 months in the beef sector has been increased carcass weights. In general, fed steer and heifer carcasses averaging 25-30 lb. heavier year over year has been a net positive for the industry.

Implications of Heavier Finished Weights

Date: Jun 17 2026

| Uncategorized

Producers have never been more equipped to tackle both terminal and maternal traits of importance. The key is likely to measure the value of any directional changes alongside the potential that current trends in customer demands may evolve in a different direction in the near future

Margins Sqeeze, Markets Cool: What It Means for Fed Cattle

Date: Jun 03 2026

| CAB Insider

Focused marketing of a premium beef brand demands some attention to tracking price spreads across differing quality specifications. The USDA quality grade scale provides the domestic measuring stick by which the trade differentiates demand across the quality spectrum.