The 2017 marketing year turned out to be remarkable for the beef cattle business - a lot of that success attributed to how aggressively cattle were marketed during that period while keeping marketing weights well under control. According to Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, the industry still seems to be managing weights fairly well, though he says overall, he is not as impressed with the job that is being done this year as compared to last.
“Not quite as much pulling through of animals through the marketplace, but still very aggressive,” Robb said about the pace of the beef pipeline. “Packers have been pulling these animals through and that has kept these dress weights very much in check - and probably more than anticipated.”
So, while markets seem to be holding their own this year - the question remains, what about next year, in 2019? Robb says it is likely we could see prices drop slightly given the fact that feedlots will be faced with an even larger calf crop supply to deal with in 2019. However, if both domestic and international demand continues to stay as strong as it has, he says on the whole, the 2019 cattle market may work itself into an even stronger position.
“We have a little penchant for lower cattle prices in 2019, but the demand side will be the driver,” he said, “which looks very positive assuming we don’t have any trade issues going on. Still, while prices may be down slightly in 2019, the next marketing year stands a good chance of being an overall stronger market than we’ve seen in 2018.”
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