# Cattle and beef: Where to from here?

> The US beef cow inventory likely peaked in 2019 at 31.8 million head, with beef cow slaughter at an estimated 3.1 million head, the highest since 2013. Heifer slaughter also reached its highest level since 2010. Analysts expect the herd to decline slightly in 2020 without significant liquidation.

- Date: 2019-12-19 · published 2019-12-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/55547-cattle-and-beef-where-to-from-here
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A peaking cow herd and lighter carcass weights point to limited beef supply growth in 2020, which supports cattle prices. Feeder calf prices have been pressured by higher feed costs and more calves for sale.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: neutral
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-02-22 | [US beef cow herd declines
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42850-us-beef-cow-herd-declines-the-cattle-site.md) | -0.7% | -2.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-05-29 | [Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19389-why-the-u-s-cattle-herd-is-at-a-75-year-low-and-what-it-means-for-beef-prices.md) | -0.8% | +1.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-11-23 | [Cattle on Feed \| Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38815-cattle-on-feed-ohio-beef-cattle-letter.md) | +0.8% | +1.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2021-11-17 | [BeefWatch: Canadian cattle herd increases, strong beef demand seen from consumers - Canadian Cattlemen](https://feedsoft.ai/events/43995-beefwatch-canadian-cattle-herd-increases-strong-beef-demand-seen-from-consumers.md) | +2.0% | +4.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2020-12-30 | [So Where Does the Beef Market Go from Here? \| TSLN.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/49782-so-where-does-the-beef-market-go-from-here-tsln-com.md) | -2.8% | -2.8% |
| FCATTLE | 2017-11-29 | [Cattle on Feed \| Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68120-cattle-on-feed-ohio-beef-cattle-letter.md) | -4.3% | -6.0% |
| FCATTLE | 2022-04-01 | [Corn Costs and Cattle Placement Weights \| UNL Beef \| Nebraska](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7627-corn-costs-and-cattle-placement-weights-unl-beef-nebraska.md) | +0.3% | +0.3% |

## Sources

- farmprogress.com: https://www.farmprogress.com/cattle-news/cattle-and-beef-where-to-from-here-

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