Riding High
contributed article by Kirk Lynch
Lynch Livestock Inc. and Humeston Livestock Exchange, Humeston, Iowa
As I write this month’s article, it is a pretty good time to be a fan of my beloved Iowa State Cyclones. The football team is ranked No. 9 in the country and 6-0 for the first time since The Great Depression, the men’s and women’s basketball team came in No. 5 and No. 8 respectively in the preseason polls, the wrestling team is expected to rank very high as well, and our cross country team is ranked No. 4 in the country. The market to be a Cyclone fan is at an all-time high, much like what we have been seeing in 2024 for the cattle markets.
The fat cattle market continues to bounce around the $1.80 to $1.90 level with some extreme tops in the mid 90’s. Looking at the futures and cattle numbers, I think we bounce around this level throughout 2025. Cattle weights continue to go up and we are producing just as many pounds of beef as in previous years with fewer cattle. I look for this to continue to be the trend with cheap corn and feedstuffs. As we get closer to the holiday season look for an uptick in the market as demand increases. I would not be surprised if we get in the low $1.90’s in the country cash trade and even see some $2 cattle run through some barns before the end of the year.
With the bullish outlook, the feeder cattle continue to be strong with lightweight steers generally bringing in that $3 range or maybe a little better, heifers in the high $2 range, and bigger cattle bringing in the mid $2’s. Look for this to continue as long as the numbers stay tight, and feed stays cheap.
The weigh up bull and cow markets were a little softer in the last couple of months but as the supply of cows and bulls gets tighter, we will see this market get some life to it. We have seen an uptick here in the last week or so with cows generally back in the $1.30 range and bulls in the $1.60 range.
Demand for breeding stock has been excellent. We have fielded as many calls as I can remember for fall breds and pairs as there is plentiful feedstuffs and the cattle market outlook for the next couple of years looks very favorable especially for the cow/calf producers. I look for this market to be strong going into winter. When some spring breds begin to sell, I think we will see a strong market with heifers bringing $3,000 plus and bred cows bringing mid-$2,000 range.
Until next month and if you are a Cyclone, I hope I am still riding high by the time you read this. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Kirk Lynch, Lynch Livestock Inc., Lineville, Iowa
Kirk is the beef division manager for Lynch Livestock Inc. and oversees all aspects of their backgrounding and cattle feeding operations throughout Iowa and Kansas. He is also deeply involved in the Humeston Livestock Exchange in Humeston, Iowa. In addition, Kirk and his wife Mary own and operate Heartland Simmentals in northeast Iowa, which is a seedstock operation that consists of 500 registered Simmental and Angus cows. They have four children: Gabrielle (11), Brayden (9), Vivian (7), and Bianca (4).
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