# Smaller Cattle Herd Creates Market Volatility | Farm Bureau Intel Markets | American Farm Bureau Federation

> USDA's January cattle inventory showed 86.2 million head on January 1, 2026, down 0.3% from 2025. Analysts expect the herd will not expand until at least 2028, keeping cattle supplies tight and volatile.

- Date: 2026-02-10 · published 2026-02-10T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/20724-smaller-cattle-herd-creates-market-volatility-farm-bureau-intel-markets
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A continued shrinking herd limits feeder cattle supply and supports higher cattle and beef prices, with heightened market sensitivity to news.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2024-02-05 | [U.S. Cattle Inventory Smallest in 73 years \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/31619-u-s-cattle-inventory-smallest-in-73-years-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | +1.8% | +4.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-12-04 | [Bullish Cattle Report Does Not Indicate Herd Expansion \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21454-bullish-cattle-report-does-not-indicate-herd-expansion-farm-bureau-intel.md) | +4.1% | +8.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2021-02-04 | [January Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48571-january-cattle-inventory-and-cattle-on-feed-reports-farm-bureau-intel-markets.md) | +0.8% | +2.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-05-19 | [Meat Demand Sizzles as Memorial Day Nears \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19203-meat-demand-sizzles-as-memorial-day-nears-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | -1.7% | -2.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2024-08-01 | [Livestock Market Update for The Second Half of 2024 \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28790-livestock-market-update-for-the-second-half-of-2024-farm-bureau-intel-markets.md) | -1.5% | -3.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2024-02-05 | [U.S. Cattle Inventory Smallest in 73 years \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/31619-u-s-cattle-inventory-smallest-in-73-years-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | +1.0% | +2.8% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-12-04 | [Bullish Cattle Report Does Not Indicate Herd Expansion \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21454-bullish-cattle-report-does-not-indicate-herd-expansion-farm-bureau-intel.md) | +2.0% | +7.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2017-11-20 | [Cattle on Feed Continues Strong Placements \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68133-cattle-on-feed-continues-strong-placements-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | +1.8% | -2.7% |

## Sources

- fb.org: https://www.fb.org/intel/markets/smaller-cattle-herd-creates-market-volatility

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