The U.S. beef herd size periodically cycles through expansion and contraction, with about a 10-year cycle. This cycle is largely due to the time it takes to build because of cattle biology. 

"Birds of a feather flock to together" rings true when it comes to the cattle industry, according to a recent Progressive Cattle online poll.

December beef exports totaled 111,315 metric tons (MT), down 1% from a year ago, valued at $682 million (down 3%). 2019 exports totaled 1.32 million MT, 2.5% below the previous year's record volume. After increasing by more than $1 billion in 2018, beef export value eased by 3% to $8.1 billion.

The USDA NASS Cattle on Feed report for January was released Jan. 24. My take on the report is that it was reasonably neutral. Placements, marketings and on-feed numbers were all well within pre-report estimate ranges and were, in fact, very close to pre-report averages.

President Donald Trump signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law at a ceremony at the White House last week. USMCA still needs to be ratified by Canada’s parliament before it can take effect, but after more than a year of negotiations between the Trump administration and key Democrats in Congress, the trade agreement finally has full U.S. approval.

Spring calving season is just about to start on most ranches across the U.S.