Six weeks into 2025 and cattle prices continue to boom. It’s not just cattle prices but cutout values and meat prices keep moving higher. Within the broader cattle and beef market some sources of volatility remain that will likely mean some ups and downs as we head into spring.
Prices
The drive to new record high prices really started last fall and continued into 2025. The price increases have been broad-based across everything from cull cows to calves to feeders to beef. Each of these types of animals and beef have their own seasonal price patterns due to relative supplies and demands that will affect their trajectory in coming months.
Cull cow prices have jumped more than 10% so far this year. They tend to increase until about May-June benefitting from burger grilling demand in spring and reduced total cow culling that time of the year. This year they continue to be boosted by historically low cow numbers that is contributing to sharply lower beef cow slaughter. Dairy cow culling rebounded in January to actually exceed that of the prior year for the first time in almost a year and a half but has since declined.
By David Anderson
February
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