Beef Demand

New dietary guidelines push for twice the protein

david@agproud.com — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2025-30 make a direct push for whole, nutrient-dense foods, specifically protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits and whole grains, while reducing highly processed refined carbs, added sugars and sodium. Recommendations for daily protein intake were doubled from the previous 2020-25 version.

New beef branding campaign celebrates life’s milestones

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:33:24 -0400

Do you remember what your grandma used to serve for Sunday dinner? “Together, We Bring More” is based on the emotional connection that we have with life’s milestones – and how beef can transform our experiences, big or small, into meaningful moments.

2022 National Beef Quality Audit shows increase in quality and efficiency

Tue, 30 May 2023 15:18:03 -0400

Key highlights from the 2022 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) indicate producers are working to meet the demand for quality and efficiency while maintaining the need to keep safety a top priority.

DIRECT Act proposed to help small meat processors and producers reach new customers

Thu, 18 May 2023 12:41:53 -0400

If passed, the DIRECT Act would allow for beef, pork and poultry producers to sell their products through e-commerce across state lines – without the current regulation of going through a USDA-inspected facility. Instead, the act would only require producers to follow state inspection programs.

Fake meat losing momentum

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Tue, 02 May 2023 10:25:35 -0400

Plant-based alternative meats are currently a $1 billion market in the U.S., but that number looks like it’s going down.

[Podcast] Idaho Cattle Women with Maggie Malson

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Maggie Malson joins us to talk about the Idaho Cattle Women and their activities to promote the beef industry in Idaho.

Chinese demand holds strong to boost U.S. exports

david@agproud.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Export volume of U.S. beef ran at a higher pace in October 2022 than one year ago, while export beef value kept rolling toward a record pace for the year.

Ask the Consultant: Cattle market perspective for 2021

mdchilds@noble.org — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 14:00:01 -0400

Ranchers who have been producing beef for a while are aware of the cyclical nature of the business.

Demand drives optimism in 2021 price outlook

cassidy@agproud.com — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 21:33:59 -0500

“Beef demand to me is a good story,” said Kevin Good during the outlook session of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association’s Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot held virtually on Feb. 24.

Update on cattle herd dynamics

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 23:48:22 -0500

Much of 2020 has been preoccupied with daily and weekly slaughter numbers, carcass weights and boxed beef prices, along with monthly cattle-on-feed dynamics. The intertemporal volatility through the year adds to the challenge of assessing what, exactly, is the situation regarding the cattle cycle and longer-term herd dynamics.

International beef trade dynamics

josh.maples@msstate.edu — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 19:24:42 -0500

The latest monthly trade data were released by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) in early November. The September data continued to show adjustments from the beef production and beef price changes earlier in the year, as well as the impacts of global beef demand.

Beef export and import adjustments

josh.maples@msstate.edu — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:46:39 -0400

U.S. beef trade continues to adjust to supply and demand shocks. The latest data release from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) shows the impact of these shocks on U.S beef exports and imports.

High beef demand requires more packer space

david@agproud.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 20:41:37 -0400

The struggles experienced by the beef industry during the coronavirus pandemic do provide some bright reasons for optimism, said Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax, during a digital presentation at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course on Aug. 3.

What consumers expect when it comes to animal welfare

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 15:38:11 -0400

What does animal welfare mean? Take a look at any industry publication, conference agenda or panel discussion – this topic is bound to come up.

Beef consumption versus demand

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:22:06 -0400

Economic growth projections for the U.S. and the world have been revised downward due to the impacts of COVID-19, with many global growth projections having contractions of nearly 3%.

Beef markets move past disruptions

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:43:44 -0400

Barring a major setback, it appears that beef markets are moving past the worst of the disruptions that have caused upheaval is recent weeks.

Grocery disruptions continue amid beef processing chaos

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Mon, 04 May 2020 17:04:41 -0400

COVID-19 continues to sweep through packing plant workers, leading to severe disruptions in beef processing. Estimated cattle slaughter for the week ending May 2 was 425,000 head, down 38% year over year.

Keeping beef on the plate: 2020 dietary guidelines

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 20:39:23 -0400

Have you ever wondered who makes the rules displayed on the brightly colored posters at the doctor’s office and school cafeteria, or who decreed that 5.5 ounces of protein is the ideal daily intake for an adult?

USDA lifts ban on Brazilian beef

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0400

The USDA-FSIS recently announced that Brazilian fresh beef would soon be allowed back into the U.S. Brazilian beef exports were banned back in 2017 due to recurring concerns about public health issues, sanitary conditions and animal health issues.

Large beef supply rising as COVID-19 dings demand

lschulz@iastate.edu — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0400

Why did April 2020 live cattle futures lose $10.675 per hundredweight (cwt) from Friday, Feb. 21 to Friday, Feb. 28? Why did it recover $3.70 per cwt over the next three trading days?

Beef supply chains impacted by COVID-19

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:15:00 -0400

The cattle and beef industry, along with the rest of the U.S. and global economy, is in uncharted waters with the coronavirus pandemic. There are many unknowns about the timing, severity and aftermath of the disease.

Beef exports trend higher in early 2020

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 22:10:08 -0400

Beef exports posted more modest growth in January, increasing 2.5% from a year ago in volume (107,374 metric tons [MT]) and 5% in value ($672.7 million). But beef muscle cut exports were the highest ever for the month of January at 81,342 MT, up 4% from a year ago, while muscle cut value increased 5% to $589.2 million.

Is COVID-19 impacting beef demand?

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 18:57:23 -0400

Wholesale beef prices typically increase seasonally from February into March but have showed only scant improvement from the February low three weeks ago.

An update on Australian cattle and beef

derrell.peel@okstate.edu — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 00:24:21 -0500

The ongoing wildfires in Australia represent the latest in nearly a decade of environmental challenges the country has faced. This has prompted questions about the impact of the fires on Australian cattle and beef production and trade. This article was compiled from several Australian reports and other media and data sources.

5 things cattle producers should know about beef trade with Japan

josh.maples@msstate.edu — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:21:30 -0400

1. An agreement in principle is in place

On Aug. 25, President Trump announced a bilateral trade agreement in principle with Japan that includes beef.

How will the corn export market change in the next decade?

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 15:58:27 -0400

An interesting article recently published by Fabio Mattos, UNL grain economist, discussed changes that have happened and are likely to continue to happen in the world’s corn export market as Brazil further develops its corn production.

May beef exports rebound, reaching 2019 highs

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 17:48:33 -0400

May exports of U.S. pork and beef were steady with last year’s strong volumes and increased year-over-year in value, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

U.S. beef exports: Where do we go from here?

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 14:00:01 -0400

The global economy has become more varied and complex in the last 50 years. The world has seen many events, including war, famine, and political and cultural changes that have affected its power structure.

Japan opens market to U.S. beef

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Fri, 17 May 2019 19:57:51 -0400

After months of negotiations, U.S. and Japan trade officials have reached an agreement that will give U.S. beef unrestricted access to Japan’s competitive meat market.

Impossible Whopper hits the grill at Burger King

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 22:31:46 -0400

Burger King recently announced the launch of its “Impossible Whopper,” a plant-based alternative to the traditional Whopper advertised as “All Whopper. No beef.”