As drought conditions persist across much of cattle country, farmers and ranchers are at a pivotal juncture in the cattle industry’s landscape. What impact does this prolonged dry spell have on the nation’s herd numbers? When will heifer retention begin? How will industry dynamics influence the spring bull sale season?
The beef demand success story of the past is also the industry’s roadmap for the future, said speakers at this year’s Feeding Quality Forum. The program covered everything from current market conditions and technology to price forecasts and advancements on the horizon.
As the clock ticked past 2:00 a.m., handshakes finally signaled a deal. History was made that Thanksgiving morning in 1997 when a group of producers bought a material interest in what was then Farmland National Beef Packing Company.
If there was a lesson in 2022, it was that the beef market is very sensitive to declines in quality grade, as evidenced through price signals. It’s the first time in recent history where we’ve gone backwards — albeit ever so slightly — and customers are telling us they have unfulfilled demand. That’s reflected in the premiums paid, and that’s saying something after two years of extremely high premiums.
Part intuition, part learned experience and a growing database gave Randy Blach the tools to communicate to producers what the market demands. The bottom line is consistently front and center, his mission is to keep more cattlemen and women on the land, doing what they do best.
Prime cutout values and grid premiums have been rich in the third and fourth quarters of the past two years. Yet the spillover into the first quarter this year shows that the market is reacting to the recently smaller availability, retreating back to the 2019 supply pace.
Starting in March 2020, disarray set in motion a chain of events leading to the fed cattle backlog from plant closures slowing the supply chain throughout 2021. While the market likes to avoid the unkown, the last two years put the beef business in uncharted territory.
December has started off on a high note in the fed cattle sector and all of us on the cattle side of the supply chain should be made well aware of what’s ahead in 2022.
“So, if we make sure the humans can be prosperous and survive, that’s what sustainability is,” Mark Gardiner says. “That is the opportunity that USPB gave our family and thousands more all across the United States.” It’s why USPB earned the 2021 CAB Progressive Partner award.
To tell the U.S. Premium Beef story today, is to tell one that changed the beef industry for the better. The USPB mission includes increasing both the quality of beef and long-term profitability for cattle producers, and ranchers are as focused on that as ever.
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