# Ranchers herd it all as fewer cattle pressure beef prices; screwworm lurks - Dallasfed.org

> Beef prices are at record highs while the US cattle herd is at a record low, and consumer demand has stayed steady. New World screwworm has reappeared in northern Mexico, with more than 1,800 active cases reported by mid-May, close to the Texas border. An outbreak in Texas could shrink the herd further and push beef prices higher.

- Date: 2026-05-20 · published 2026-05-20T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: disease · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/19198-ranchers-herd-it-all-as-fewer-cattle-pressure-beef-prices-screwworm-lurks
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A shrinking herd plus a possible screwworm outbreak keeps cattle supply tight, supporting live and feeder cattle prices and raising feedlot costs for buyers.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2026-06-04 | [US screwworm case puts ranchers on alert, rallies cattle prices By Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12084-us-screwworm-case-puts-ranchers-on-alert-rallies-cattle-prices-by-reuters.md) | +0.6% | -1.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-06-02 | [How flesh-eating screwworms in cattle could raise US beef prices \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24157-how-flesh-eating-screwworms-in-cattle-could-raise-us-beef-prices-reuters.md) | +3.1% | +3.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-10-22 | [A screwworm fly that bedeviled cattle ranchers decades ago has returned to Texas](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33562-a-screwworm-fly-that-bedeviled-cattle-ranchers-decades-ago-has-returned-to-texas.md) | +0.4% | -3.5% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-07-01 | [Cattle market update: Screwworm, drought and strong beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18951-cattle-market-update-screwworm-drought-and-strong-beef-prices.md) | -4.9% | -11.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-08-30 | [Screwworm outbreak cripples cattle trade, costs jobs and raises beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23284-screwworm-outbreak-cripples-cattle-trade-costs-jobs-and-raises-beef-prices.md) | -1.4% | -3.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-06-04 | [US screwworm case puts ranchers on alert, rallies cattle prices By Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12084-us-screwworm-case-puts-ranchers-on-alert-rallies-cattle-prices-by-reuters.md) | +3.4% | +5.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-06-02 | [How flesh-eating screwworms in cattle could raise US beef prices \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24157-how-flesh-eating-screwworms-in-cattle-could-raise-us-beef-prices-reuters.md) | +3.8% | +4.0% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-10-22 | [A screwworm fly that bedeviled cattle ranchers decades ago has returned to Texas](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33562-a-screwworm-fly-that-bedeviled-cattle-ranchers-decades-ago-has-returned-to-texas.md) | -2.0% | -5.5% |

## Sources

- dallasfed.org: https://www.dallasfed.org/research/swe/2026/swe2612

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.