Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the Cattle Contracts Library will level the playing field for producers, providing transparency that has been sorely lacking. Good noted Americans ate more beef last year than they’ve eaten in a decade, an average of 58 pounds a person, despite retail prices averaging $7.35 a pound.Ĭattle sales: The USDA unveiled a public database tracking private cattle sales to give producers more leverage with meatpacking companies. Good quality bred cows could range from $1,900 to $2,300. Calves weighing 550 pounds are expected to average $225, up $29, while cull cows could rise $20 to $100.

Slaughter numbers are expected to be down this year, pressuring prices.įed cattle prices are expected to range from $150 to $172 per hundredweight, averaging $158 for the year, up $14 from last year. Half the nation’s cows are in drought areas, economist Kevin Good of Cattle Fax told the gathering. 2) that the prediction was made at the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans. A Cattle Fax economist predicted record prices this year due to drought and the pandemic, which forced producers to thin herds.

Cows for sale cattle range