In the first quarter of 2022, federally inspected (FI) nonfed cattle slaughter reached volumes not seen since the mid-1980s, based on USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) estimated and actual weekly slaughter data through the week ending April 2, 2022.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) released on March 28 an updated version of the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, first introduced in November 2021.

For March 2022, the annual forecast for commercial beef production was raised 195 million pounds to 27.57 billion pounds from the previous month, on stronger expected non-fed and fed cattle slaughter.

In the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) semiannual Cattle report released on Jan. 31, the total number of cattle and calves on Jan. 1, 2022, was estimated at 91.902 million head – 2%, or nearly 1.888 million head lower than the previous year.

The U.S. will no longer receive Russian energy exports, President Joe Biden announced March 8. The ban on Russian oil, liquefied natural gas and coal is the latest in several retaliatory sanctions against Russian international commerce following the invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Global supply chains, already hit hard by the pandemic, are facing further disruption and cost inflation after Russian forces invaded Ukraine Feb. 24.