Total cattle imports in July were down 4.1%, with year-to-date total cattle imports up 14.7% year over year for the January through July period. Cattle imports in 2018 totaled 1.9 million head, including 66.8% Mexican cattle and 33.2% from Canada.

Farmers and ranchers are breathing a sigh of relief after the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers announced Sept. 12 that they are repealing the Obama-era Waters of the U.S. rule that expanded the EPA and Corps' regulatory powers beyond the limits approved by Congress and the Supreme Court.

According to a recent online poll, producers wean their calves in October or later. 

Most producers turn to modified live vaccine to prevent issues with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), according to a recent Progressive Cattle online poll.

President Trump, joined by trade representatives and members of the U.S. beef industry, recently signed a trade agreement with the European Union (EU) that will designate a larger duty-free quota of U.S. beef to the European meat market.

The lingering effects of inclement weather conditions earlier in the year and a greater proportion of heifers and cows in the slaughter mix have largely kept cattle weights below expectations from the previous month. Average cattle carcass weights appear to have bottomed in the week ending June 1, 2019, at 790 pounds.

A team of researchers at Colorado State University have been studying the potential for introduction of the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) to cattle in the U.S.