In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Tyler Cozzins, director of the Livestock Market Information Center, who discusses what the latest cattle on feed report reveals about feedlot inventories, dressed weights, and beef demand heading into the summer grilling season.
Cattle Staying on Feed Longer
Cozzins said one of the key numbers he watches in the monthly cattle on feed report is the number of cattle on feed for more than 150 days, because it gives the industry insight into how quickly cattle are moving through feedyards and into harvest channels.
“One of those statistics that we look at and that we calculate to keep an eye on is the number of cattle on feed over 150 days,” Cousins said. “This gives us an idea of the overall pace of cattle moving through the feedlots and eventually into slaughter facilities.”
That number is significantly higher than a year ago. “Cattle on feed over 150 days was 3.5 million head as of June 1, which was an increase of more than 340,000 head, or 11 percent from last year,” he said.
According to Cozzins, that increase wasn’t surprising, as the industry has seen a steady trend toward cattle remaining on feed longer over the past two years. “This was not unexpected, as the trend of cattle staying on feed for a longer period of time has been occurring for the better part of two years now,” he explained.
Heavier Cattle Mean Bigger Dressed Weights
Longer feeding periods are also showing up on the rail as heavier carcass weights. Cozzins noted that since the start of the year through mid-June, weekly steer dressed weights ranged from 973 to 989 pounds, averaging 982 pounds.
That compares to an average of 948 pounds during the same period last year. “So, on average, year-over-year comparison for steer dressed weights is an increase of about 34 pounds, or 4 percent,” Cozzins said.
He says this reflects continued improvements in feedlot efficiency and the industry’s ability to meet strong beef demand. “The trend of higher dressed weights has been occurring for more than two years now and highlights the efficiency gains in the cattle feeding sector to meet consumer demand for domestic beef.”
Box Beef Watching for July Fourth Rally
Shifting from feedlots to wholesale beef, Cozzins said market watchers are now focused on whether boxed beef values will see a seasonal rally heading into Independence Day. “Last year we saw peaks occur around July 4 and Labor Day,” Cozzins said. “This year, we’re watching the trend of the box beef cutout value to see if we’re going to see another one of those peak values around July 4.”
So far, values have been moving modestly higher, though not with the same strength seen in 2025. “So far, box beef cutout value has been trending slightly higher,” he said. “We haven’t quite seen as much of an upward movement, at least as we did last year.”
Cozzins said the boxed beef cutout was sitting just under $400 per hundredweight last week. “The box beef cutout value last week was at 396 dollars per hundredweight.”
Ground Beef Continues to Lead Demand
Not all beef cuts are moving the same. Cozzins noted rib, loin, and brisket values have been somewhat muted, while chuck and round have remained mostly steady. One area showing notable strength is flank cuts and especially ground beef. “One of those stronger ones has actually been the ground beef side of things,” Cozzins said.
That strength is reflected at the retail counter. “We’re actually seeing ground beef prices at the retail level just topping 7 dollars per pound, which is record levels there.”
That consumer demand will be a major factor to watch as summer progresses. “Looking at consumer demand moving forward, it will be one of those things that we will be tracking quite closely,” Cozzins said. “If this boxed beef cutout value can hold some strength here through the summer months and trend a little bit higher before it moves lower during the third quarter and into the fourth quarter.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
