CattleFax CEO Says 2014 "Perfect Storm" For Cattle Producers

Feb 11, 2015

This past year will go down in history as one of the best years for cattle producers. At the recent Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas, CattleFax Chief Executive Officer Randy Blach talked about the historic nature of 2014 for the beef cattle industry and for most of animal agriculture. He called it a "perfect storm".

"You just don't the stars line up like that," Blach said. "Everything happened, there wasn't enough protein domestically or globally and then when it started to rain, feed prices continued to softened and we saw increased expansion activity that really slowed down the number of animals being harvested. It really put things into motion, so we won't see another one like that for quite some time, but it was sure fun to see one."

One of the great things about 2014 was the profitability that most of animal-agriculture enjoyed.

"Anybody in the protein business had an incredible year, it didn't matter if it was dairy or if it was pork or poultry or all of the segments of the beef cattle industry, they all had wonderful years," Blach said. "Most of these producers down here this week at this convention have spent a lifetime in this industry and you just won't repeat one of this magnitude, so it was great to see."

In looking back at the profitability and record high prices, Blach said a year ago his basic message at the Cattle Industry Convention was that the beef industry needs to this economic signal and expand the nation's cowherd and American producers have done that.

Since the end of 2014 into the beginning of 2015, calf, yearling and fat cattle prices have been quite volatile. CattleFax is predicting higher prices for the year, but not without volatility. In looking back at the last 18 months, Blach said prices went up 45 percent from June 2013 to December of 2014. Blach said in 2015 the markets will be more sensitive and more volatile throughout the year. He recommends producers watch the trading ranges of prices.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.