American live cattle markets have overseen cash prices cross the significant ¢200-a-pound mark in the week ending January 24, 2025.   

According to brokers, by Friday, cash prices had breached $200 a hundredweight, equivalent to 200 cents to the pound. 

Meanwhile, cattle futures were edging past the cash record, at ¢203.03 a pound for the main live cattle contract at CME. This meant a 2.3-cent daily addition to the trading price.

Sales by Region

While cash sales remain steady between the north and southern United States, live cattle futures markets are fluctuating. 

However, futures traders are basing their daily sales on the foregoing week’s record cash sale, and adding a few gains. In the north, cattle futures have been fluctuating from $210 to 212 a hundredweight while in the south between $201 and 202. 

Both regional prices overshadow those of the mid-January week by at least $6 for the north and $1 for the south.

Regional cash price imbalance is no new thing. Indeed, in a bargain-buying week back in August 2024, the north still had a price advantage over the south. 

Inventory Down

It all owes to inventory pressure,  down since late 2023 when the American cattle count hit a 72-year low. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts the inventory down at 99.1% for fed cattle reserves and 96.7% for market-ready cattle. 

The weather is not helping either, especially in the wintry north. Feedlots’ hold up of cattle to fatten up amid the freeze before sale is adding to the inventory pressure. 

This is why marketings in the second last week of January 2025 rose to 101% to cover the yawning inventory gap.

Finally, demand from a population with enough cash to spend due to reigning steady employment levels is beefing up prices.

Thus, trade is all smiles this end week of January as stock pressure and high demand continue to buoy cattle markets. To learn more, skim the statistics below on the historical highs of American cattle trade.

United States’ Cattle Markets Historical Price Highs Statistics

From January 1- 27, 2025, the U.S.’ live cattle prices increased by ¢14.41 a pound or 7.52% from end 2024. By January 25, the futures markets for February deliveries had hit an all-time high of ¢208.16 a pound. This according to Trading Economics. Meanwhile, cash prices had also rounded up to the magical figure of ¢200 per pound. 

Below is a look at the peak heights per decade since 1980, using Barchart 

data:

1980s: prices stayed in the ¢60s per pound and only reached a high of ¢79.150 a pound in as late as 1989.

1990s: while they opened the ‘90s with a high of ¢80.1 per pound, prices peaked at ¢84.300 in 1993. They then retreated most of the decade into the ¢60s per pound territory.

2000s: the new millennium opened at ¢71.475 a pound and would reach ¢119.200 in April 2009.

2010s-2024: shuffling back and forth in the ¢100s-190s per pound territory, American live cattle futures remained strong in the 2010s-2020s period. They touched ¢194.500 a pound in December 2024 and ¢208.150 in January 2025 for February deliveries.