Cattle Current Daily—Jan. 21, 2025

Cattle Current Daily—Jan. 21, 2025

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was at a standstill in all major cattle feeding regions through Monday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Last week, FOB live prices were $1 higher in the Texas Panhandle at $201/cwt., steady to $1 higher in Kansas at $201, unevenly steady in Nebraska at $203-$205 and $1-$3 higher in the western Corn Belt at $203-$206. Dressed delivered prices were $2 higher in Nebraska at $322 and steady to $2 higher in the western Corn Belt at $320-$322.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 53¢ lower Monday afternoon at $333.16/cwt. Select was 39¢ lower at $319.44.

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“Cattle and beef markets rocketed out of the gate coming into 2025,” says Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in his weekly market comments. “With no post-holiday wavering, all cattle and beef markets moved higher in the first half of January – setting new record price levels to start the new year. This continues the trend of the last three years. Cattle prices began to move higher after 2021 and increased more sharply in 2023-2024.”

Peel notes the 5-area direct average live fed steer price was $203.56/cwt. for the week ending Jan. 17. That was 17.3% more year over year and 85.9% more than in January 2021.

Similarly, the weekly Choice boxed beef price for mid-January was $333.51/cwt., according to Peel. That was 17.7% mor than the prior year and up 58.2% over 2021 levels. 

Closer to home, steers weighing 600-700 lbs. averaged $320.81/cwt. in the North Central region the week ending Jan. 13, according to USDA’s National Weekly Feeder and Stocker Cattle Summary. That was $56.58/cwt. higher year over year. Same-weight steers the same week were $54.54 higher (+22.7%) in the South Central region at $294.72 and $48.92 higher in the Southeast (+21.2%) at $279.68

“The strong cattle and beef price trend coming into 2025 is expected to continue as cattle inventories and beef supplies tighten further in the coming months,” Peel says. “However, while cattle and beef markets are very strong internally, external shocks from political uncertainty, along with U.S. and global macroeconomic jitters may cause short-term shocks and short-lived market setbacks. Volatility is likely to accompany a bullish market expectation.”

2025-01-20T17:59:59-06:00

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