Cattle and beef markets continue to show good and improving strength into 2022. The opening weeks of February communicate potential tightening of, most notably, feeder animal supplies into the summer.

Seven of the nation’s top cattle operations were recognized as Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) regional winners for their environmental conservation efforts during the 2022 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show in Houston, Texas.

A previous article considered what continued drought might force the industry to do in terms of additional herd liquidation. Another scenario is that drought across the country subsides and is not a significant factor in 2022.

Meat-packing giant JBS announced Feb. 1 that it has agreed to pay $52.5 million as a settlement against claims of beef price fixing.

Beef production in 2021 is expected to total 27.95 billion pounds, up 55 million pounds from the previous month’s forecast. This increase is driven by a more rapid pace of cow and bull slaughter as well as by heavier cattle dressed weights.

The beef industry is slowly embracing reproduction technologies like embryo transfer, estrus syncing and A.I., and the brave souls who use A.I. have two choices: Do it yourself or hire a professional. 

CattleFax CEO Randy Blach, joined by analysts Kevin Good and Mike Murphy, shared their projections and takeaways for the cattle, grain and energy markets in the coming year with ranchers attending the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention in Houston. CattleFax meteorologist Matt Makens also presented a global weather outlook, with some insights closer to home.

One estimate that analysts like to calculate from the Cattle Inventory report is feeder cattle supplies outside feedlots as of Jan. 1.