Based on the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) federally inspected Livestock Slaughter report, the inferred (federally inspected production/federally inspected head slaughtered) carcass weight for September is 827.1 pounds, while the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) weekly actual and estimated federally inspected Livestock Slaughter reports showed that the inferred weight for October was 831.8 pounds, about 4.7 pounds heavier month-over-month.

Total commercial beef production in 2021 was raised to 27.832 billion pounds from last month on anticipated heavier carcass weights and higher cow slaughter.

Slaughter remains higher year-over-year. Preliminary estimated federally inspected cattle slaughter for August was up 3.1% from a year ago. Notably, the weekly estimated FI cow slaughter through Aug. 28 was up 13% year-over-year.

Byproduct values for cattle have increased dramatically in the past few months. Hide and offal values, which have generally declined in recent years, bottomed during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 to the lowest levels since 2009.

After two years of liquidation due to pressure from drought conditions, the industry is headed into shorter beef supplies over the next three to four years, CattleFax analyst Kevin Good told attendees at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention and Tradeshow in Nashville, Tennessee. “The U.S. beef cattle herd is undergoing liquidation. Beef cow slaughter is up 10 percent. There are less replacement heifers and more heifers going to the feedlot.”

The federally inspected slaughter for June was strong, exceeding the three previous years. More heifers and cows were in the slaughter mix in June, causing the average carcass weight to drop below the previous month’s expectations.

CattleFax CEO Randy Blach stops by to is it with Progressive Cattle Editors in the second of three podcasts from the NCBA convention in Nashville. Randy shares how leverage is looking to change toward the cow-calf producer as the supply chain sees lower cow and cattle numbers, and a look at how more packing facilities and shackle space is on the horizon. Mitch Blanding of Zoetis and Ted Perry of Purina come to explain Purina’s new Purina Plus program to utilize nutrition planning with several pharmaceutical companies’ herd health protocols. And Catltemen’s Beef Board Chair Hugh Sanburg drops by to discuss Beef Checkoff success in its 35 years of promoting beef demand.

As reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor on May 4, 2021, 66% of the country was experiencing some level of drought, compared to just 31% the same week last year (see Figure 1).

Paul, Cassidy and David spend some time talking on market dynamics with Tanner Beymer, NCBA’s director of government affairs and market regulatory policy. Just how far has NCBA membership moved toward price discovery reform in recent years?

A one-day cybersecurity attack on nine separate JBS SA beef processing facilities on June 1 led to the shutdown and backlog of 20,000 head of cattle.