Beef prices & my paycheck
It seems everybody knows those rules, so when I’m traveling and visit with fellow ag business folks the conversation usually starts out on one of those two notes. Recently upon learning I worked for Certified Angus Beef, a guy said, “Huh, so are these cattle prices cutting into your margins? Or do you just hike up the price of your beef and pass it along to the consumers?” (*Note this was before those prices were flirting with limit down levels today…)
From what ad features retailers will commit to running to the number of cattle going to harvest in a given a week, cattle prices do have a big effect on our business. But it’s not quite as direct as that guy was thinking.
After all, in essence we are a non-profit, marketing company.
I thought I’d dust off this Mythbuster post that addresses how we’re funded and should indirectly address this one:
Myth: CAB sets beef prices, depending on the cattle market.
Fact: https://cabcattle.com/2011/03/28/show-me-the-money/
I’m not an accounting whiz or a market forecaster, but if you’ve got any other questions along these lines, let me know. I know people who are!
May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
~Miranda
You may also like
Texas Ranch Received CAB Ambassador Award
Visitors to 2 Bar C Ranch near Luling, Texas, often describe the quiet first. That peace reflects low-stress cattle care, seedstock bred for the whole beef chain and a family that opens its gates, earning the 2026 CAB Ambassador Award.
Built For the Long Haul
Thirty-one inches of rain in 48 hours tested Biltmore Estate’s 130-year commitment to remain a profitable, working agricultural estate. Through Hurricane Helene recovery and high-quality Angus genetics, Biltmore stewards its land, livestock and community, earning the 2026 CAB Sustainability Award.
Jett Stream to Prime
In the Oklahoma Panhandle, four generations built a herd defined not by the odds against it, but by standards never lowered. That commitment drove decades of genetic and management improvements, taking Jett Ranch from struggling to reach Prime to more than 70% Prime today, and earned the ranch the 2026 CAB Commercial Commitment to Excellence award.


