# What’s next in the beef price cycle? Part 3

> Harlan Hughes' Part 3 of a beef price cycle series says the US cattle market has entered the defensive phase of the cycle. It explains how heifer retention responds to calf prices and projects that cattle slaughter will rise into 2020-2021 as beef cow numbers grow.

- Date: 2018-03-01 · published 2018-03-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: market · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/65944-what-s-next-in-the-beef-price-cycle-part-3
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

Expected growth in cattle slaughter over the coming years implies lower cattle prices and a longer-term reduction in feeder demand for feed grains.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: neutral
- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Sources

- beefmagazine.com: https://www.beefmagazine.com/beef-pricing/what-s-next-in-the-beef-price-cycle-part-3

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