ShayLe Stewart

Friday's USDA Cattle Inventory report was entirely bullish. Producers should expect another rallying year where the story remains mostly the same. Limited supplies amid robust demand will likely push prices even higher.

Cattlemen are anxious to see Friday's Cattle Inventory report as they remember how quickly the market changed during the last cycle, with feeder cattle prices went from record high in 2014 to...

The cattle complex is trading higher at Monday's start of the week following the strong trade last week in the fed cash cattle market. But traders will be closely monitoring what comes of this upcoming Friday's Cattle Inventory...

The biggest change in Friday's USDA Cattle on Feed report could be in the marketing category. It's expected that the number of cattle marketed in December was anywhere from steady to 2.5% greater than a year ago.

As the market rallies into the first weeks of 2026, now is the time for cattlemen to decide their marketing strategies for the year ahead.

There are plenty of bullish factors to point to in the marketplace. Even so, the market seems a tick stagnant as traders are waiting for undeniable fundamental support to surface.

Charged and on fire about the bullish outlook for 2026, the cattle complex has taken an aggressive start to the New Year.

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart shares which Call the Market column was her favorite to write in 2025.

Charged and on fire about the bullish outlook for 2026, the cattle complex has taken an aggressive start to the New Year.

Sometimes we need to take time to fully write out our thoughts and think things through clearly. Other times, some simple nuggets of wisdom help shape sound thoughts and business decisions.

Sometimes we need to take time to fully write out our thoughts and think things through clearly. Other times, some simple nuggets of wisdom help shape sound thoughts and business decisions.

With this week being another holiday-shortened week for New Year's Day, it's likely that the cattle complex will trade in a lackadaisical holiday manner again this week.

More than anything, I believe traders' positive interaction throughout the marketplace on Monday again shows hard evidence their core desire is to push the contracts higher as they know and understand the market's long-term...

USDA's Dec. 1 Cattle on Feed report, which is scheduled for release at 2 p.m. CST on Friday, isn't expected to show anything out of the norm.

With cattlemen and traders alike looking forward to the holiday break between Christmas and the New Year, it's likely the cattle complex could remain quiet over the next two weeks.

With packers able to buy over 103,000 head in last week's fed cash cattle market, it's likely the recent rally the fed cash cattle market has seen will subside until after the New Year holiday.

Given that the futures complex is up against stiff resistance, the market could be hard-pressed to trade higher unless substantial fundamental support develops.

Even with Ag Secretary Rollin's positive remarks, traders still need to see fundamental support before they'll likely advance the contracts anymore.

I personally believe the reduction of throughput will only push the herd build-back that much further out as yet another level of confidence has been eroded from the market.

Since the cattle market hasn't received USDA's Cattle on Feed data in two months due to the government shutdown, traders will closely scan Friday's Nov. 1 report for any abnormalities.

The problem here isn't a matter of today; it's an issue that's going to cost producers exceptionally later down the road as feedlots won't need as many cattle in the future because they can increase tonnage on a per head basis...

Without strong support from boxed beef prices or the fed cash cattle market, the cattle complex could trade steady at best this week as traders yearn for stronger fundamental support.