Cattle Market Holding Strong
As we head into the summer, the cattle market is still offering incentives to good management and marketing.
July 2, 2025
As we discussed in the June 11, 2025, episode of Angus at Work, the current cattle market is a hot topic across the country. But what are the markets actually doing, and where are they possibly heading in the future?
As a continuation of our regular Angus at Work Market Update series, we invite you to join in the conversation as Troy Marshall, director of commercial industry relations for the American Angus Association, and Lynsey McAnally, associate editor of the Angus Beef Bulletin, chat about current trends in the cattle market, the importance of health and genetics when marketing feeder calves, the current market for bred females and pairs, recent and upcoming video sales, and where the cattle cycle seems to be heading.
The value of genetics
Talk to any sale barn team or cattle feeder and the idea that genetics are playing an even bigger role in marketability is likely to come up. While there will always be a place in the industry for odd groups of cattle at sale barns, knowing the background of cattle is becoming even more important. With background information on feeder calves, producers build a reputation they can back up with data.
Through the American Angus Association, producers who invest in Angus genetics can take part in several programs designed to help make the most of that investment, including AngusVerifiedSM, AngusLinkSM and the Genetic Merit ScorecardSM.
“They give the buyers confidence of what they’re buying so that they have a good idea of how those cattle will perform both in the feedyard and on the rail in addition to how [those calves] rank within the industry,” says Marshall. “I always say it’s similar to EPDs (expected progeny differences) on bulls. Most of us wouldn’t dream of buying a bull without EPDs. The scorecard gives buyers the ability to have an objective, reliable way of knowing what the genetic merit is of these feeder cattle.”
As the cost of feeder cattle continues to hold steady, it’s all the more important for cattle to have the genetics to perform and the management to reach their full potential.
Healthy, marketable calves
What’s the No. 1 concern for someone buying feeder cattle in today’s market? Health. After all, an unhealthy calf will never reach its full potential no matter its genetics.
“Health is still the Number1 top-of-mind concern for someone buying feeder cattle in today’s market,” notes Marshall. “You need to be able to document what you’ve done from a health standpoint. And a lot of that’s not just vaccinations, but the nutrition and management those calves have had up to that point, as well.”
Nobody wants to see high mortality. Any increase in pull rates or sickness affects overall performance, affects quality grade and thus affects profitability all the way through, stresses Marshall. Along with the animal welfare concerns associated with managing cattle for long-term wellness, doctoring cattle raises input costs from a labor standpoint, as well.
“These buyers are doing a tremendous job of keeping track of both performance and health data on these calves. They know. And you’ll know pretty quickly if the cattle don’t do very well,” says Marshall. “They won’t be back to buy those calves.”
With the number of good managers in the industry today that are doing things right, the standard of play has been raised across the beef industry. [Buyers] have a reasonable expectation that purchased cattle will be healthy and managed properly, with good genetics so they can leverage that as they own the cattle through the next phase of the cycle.
The state of summer sales
Marshall notes we’re at historically high price levels for virtually every class of cattle. Even bred heifers are beginning to show increases, though lower than other classes.
“We just got through with the Corn Belt Classic, which was the first video sale of the season. We were 10¢ to 20¢ higher than a year ago really across the board,” says Marshall. “We even saw some nine-weight cattle in the lower threes-type-range there. So we’re looking at first cost on some of these animals at $2,700. That tells you we’re in unchartered territory from a price standpoint.”
With supplies remaining relatively tight, the market is likely to remain demand-driven. From a supply and demand standpoint, it’s exciting to look at the cattle market right now and — from Marshall’s perspective — it looks like there are still a few years left for producers to enjoy these historic highs.
With some time left before the next wave of the cycle, capitalizing on summer video sales is something that many producers will have the opportunity to take advantage of. While the Corn Belt Classic saw more than 100,000 head of cattle with 79 AngusLink lots, Marshall believes the market will see a big run during the June and July video sales where producers opt to get those cattle put in the bank.
“We’re getting ready to kick off with a Weekend in the Rockies and of course Winnemucca and the Western Video Market sale in Reno. There will be over 200,000 head in all those sales,” remarks Marshall. “We’re going to see a lot of feeder cattle marketed in the next six to eight weeks.”
The information above is summarized from the June 25, 2025, episode of Angus at Work. To access the full episode — including more information on upcoming sales, cattle markets and managing for added value, check out our Angus at Work archive on www.angus.org.
Editor's note: [Lead photo by Lynsey McAnally.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 7-A
Topics: Business , Management , Marketing
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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