See the latest Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook report.
Report Summary
Beef/Cattle: On August 24, USDA will reopen the Douglas, Arizona port of entry for Mexican cattle. USDA released the mid-year Cattle report which indicated year-over-year tighter calf supplies for feedlot placement heading into late 2026 and early 2027. Further, the Cattle report suggests cow inventories are steady with last year, while heifers for beef and dairy cow replacement grew modestly. A slower pace of cattle slaughter expected in the second half of 2026 pulls down the production forecast from last month to 24.967 billion pounds. In 2027, a slower anticipated pace of marketings lowers the beef production forecast to 24.980 billion pounds, showing a slight increase year over year. The outlook for cattle prices in the second half of 2026 is reduced significantly based on weaker price data but prices remain supported in 2027 by tighter cattle supplies. Beef imports for 2026 and 2027 are revised upward. Exports were revised moderately upward in 2026 based on pace.