# Beef prices surge as herd shrinks to 1951 low

> USDA Cold Storage data showed June 30 butter stocks at 332.1 million pounds, down 6.6% from June 2025, and total cheese stocks at 1.433 billion pounds, up 1.1% from May. Cash block cheddar closed July at $1.5725/lb, and the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady.

- Date: 2026-08-06 · published 2026-08-06T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/4741-beef-prices-surge-as-herd-shrinks-to-1951-low
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md), [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Lower butter stocks and firm cheese prices support dairy values, while the Fed's hold keeps dollar and financing conditions stable for feed buyers. Weather-driven herd tightening supports beef prices.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2022-11-03 | [October FMMO Class III-IV prices rise, gap shrinks \| Ag Proud](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8818-october-fmmo-class-iii-iv-prices-rise-gap-shrinks-ag-proud.md) | +1.5% | -1.9% |
| MILK | 2018-06-01 | [Milk prices continue to climb higher](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9758-milk-prices-continue-to-climb-higher.md) | -1.0% | -2.1% |
| MILK | 2019-02-28 | [Cow numbers drop, milk prices begin to rise](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60592-cow-numbers-drop-milk-prices-begin-to-rise.md) | -0.8% | -1.5% |
| MILK | 2024-08-20 | [Dairy Demand Comes to Life, Pushes Prices Higher](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28948-dairy-demand-comes-to-life-pushes-prices-higher.md) | +0.1% | +12.9% |
| MILK | 2021-09-14 | [Declining Milk Production Leads to Higher Prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45215-declining-milk-production-leads-to-higher-prices.md) | +0.1% | +8.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-07-30 | [Beef prices set to surge further as farmers sell off cattle herds \| Fox Business](https://feedsoft.ai/events/40628-beef-prices-set-to-surge-further-as-farmers-sell-off-cattle-herds-fox-business.md) | +0.1% | +3.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-03-02 | [High beef prices, low national herd: ABARES \| Farm Online \| ACT](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54069-high-beef-prices-low-national-herd-abares-farm-online-act.md) | -5.1% | -9.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-08-09 | [Shrinking U.S. cattle herd signals more pain from high beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39969-shrinking-u-s-cattle-herd-signals-more-pain-from-high-beef-prices.md) | +1.8% | +3.0% |

## Sources

- farmersadvance.com: https://www.farmersadvance.com/story/news/2026/08/06/beef-prices-surge-as-herd-shrinks-to-1951-low/91166295007/

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