In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Danny Jones, president of Superior Livestock, during the Bell Ringer Sale in Oklahoma City, where more than 82,000 head are on offer to kick off 2026 and set the tone for the year ahead.
Jones reflected on the extraordinary cattle markets experienced in 2025, calling it “a year that we went up all the way through August, from January through August.” He noted that despite a fall dip, the market has rebounded quickly, explaining that feeders are now “about $70 a hundred higher than a year ago,” putting prices “already back to where we were kind of mid-summer last year.”
While head counts are slightly lower than past kickoff sales, Jones said tighter numbers haven’t dampened optimism. “The numbers are tighter, and it’s off a little bit from last year,” he said, adding that “the total price is going to be above last year by a significant amount.” That strength, he believes, could encourage some producers to market cattle earlier to capitalize on current values.
The mood among buyers and sellers attending the Bell Ringer has been upbeat, according to Jones. “Everyone is coming off of some really nice profits on the cattle they bought last year,” he said. Even with higher prices, Jones emphasized that margins have held together, noting that “fat prices are back up again” and the industry is entering 2026 with solid momentum.
Looking ahead, Jones expects continued strength driven by limited supplies and manageable costs. “We see again, continued strong prices,” he said, explaining that lower costs of gain have helped maintain beef production despite fewer cattle. Jones also reaffirmed Superior’s long-standing commitment to price discovery, saying, “We totally believe in price discovery and bringing cattle before the buyers in the numbers and the quality that they want,” a philosophy he believes will keep Superior at the center of the market in the year ahead.
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 for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
