With parts of the country battling their way back from drought and U.S. cattle numbers reaching historic lows over the last few years, it’s reasonable to ask when producers are going to start rebuilding their herds.

Feedlot operators tap into their hard-earned instincts almost every minute of every day. Most also lean into data and information. When critical decisions need to be made, it can be difficult to choose the right lane. Should instinct or data guide the thinking, or is there an overlap? If they’re both valuable, how do producers find their appropriate balance?

In cattle feeding, effective risk management is crucial for maintaining profitability and long-term success. Traditionally, many cattle feeders have relied heavily on fundamental analysis for their marketing strategies.

Just days after fires moved across the Texas Panhandle, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) hosted the 2024 Cattle Raisers Convention and Expo on March 22-23 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Cattle on Feed report released by the USDA-NASS on Feb. 23 showed that animals in feedlots bound for the slaughter market in the U.S. totaled 11.8 million head on Feb. 1, a slightly higher inventory than the same period in 2023.

The February Feed Outlook report showed the 2023-24 global coarse grain production is reduced. Supply is slightly lower at 442.6 million metric tons. However, reductions in total U.S. coarse grain use outweigh supply losses, lifting ending stocks.

Despite anticipating record-high calf values, the beef industry will start feeling the pinch of tight fed cattle supplies coming in the next year, Kevin Good, vice president of market analysis at CattleFax, told attendees at the 2024 CattleFax Industry Outlook Seminar, held on Feb. 2.

Few times in history has the cattle industry offered more opportunity for profit to conscientious producers than right now. That was the primary message of CattleFax CEO Randy Blach’s executive summary at CattleFax’s Industry Outlook Seminar on Feb. 2.