A daily regional board for cattle prices, weather, feed, trade, disease, and weight-to-value decisions.
617
Live signals
146
Market feeds
20
Market areas
North America
Tight supply makes every pound and every feed decision matter.
Local markets
North America
Selected market
Southern Plains
United States
Feeder bids vs corn and hay basis
Intelligence workbench
Map, signal, cause, history, and scenario in one operating view.
Current read
News and reportsPublic event-stream item selected because it may affect livestock movement, buyer access, or biosecurity: Screwworm border closure fuels beef boom in Mexico , gloom in Texas Prior public event carried forward because the live event stream did not complete in this update.
Producer action: Check movement, replacement purchases, and export-linked commitments before assuming normal buyer access.
Cause to action
Signal
FAO Newsroom published a war, sanctions, or shipping-route item. Read it as a delivered feed, fertilizer, fuel, freight, and buyer-access signal.
Past to future
Same day to 3 years history usually shows up in Same week to 12 months: Delivered feed and fertilizer become more expensive or less reliable Local basis can diverge from headline futures or export values Local feed substitution, earlier sale timing, or destination hedging becomes valuable
Producer action
Check delivered feed, fertilizer, fuel, freight, and route exposure before holding cattle longer or locking crop-input purchases.
Daily market board
The useful decision is not a price headline. It is whether the next 50 lb still pays after feed, freight, weather, and buyer risk.
Risk
63
Opportunity
78
Reports watched
189
Data status
Updated public and official signals for this market.
1 sources under watch
Jun 6, 2026
Latest run
May 28-Jun 3, 2026
Window
21
Regional records
25
Active sources
Today's market read
What can change selling, feed buying, health, or movement decisions in this market.
Track feeder and fed cattle bids, boxed beef, feed cost, drought, pasture condition, and disease or border movement before choosing sell, hold, hedge, or feed.
Risk
63
Market pressure
Opportunity
78
Margin or selling power
News and reports
8
Relevant news items
Daily briefing
Market changes, producer decisions, public sources, and scenarios to review today.
10
Act
0
Watch
5
Scenarios
What changed
30 % in the 2026-06-01 USDA NASS Crop Progress; -12.0 points versus last year. This is an official supply, feed, dairy, or pasture signal to read before treating local prices as isolated.
Why it matters
Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Producer action
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
Daily market wire
News, reports, market data, impacts, and time signals that can change selling, feed, health, movement, or coverage decisions.
14
Signals
2
Reports
6
Source
8
Threads
What changed
29 public items from GDELT Global Event Monitor, Google News public search RSS, Farm Progress, Beef Central, FAO Newsroom, USDA APHIS cluster around animal health. Latest: Screwworm border closure fuels beef boom in Mexico , gloom in Texas
Why it matters
Most connected scenario: Disease alert or movement hold. Use the cluster to decide whether that scenario is warming or cooling.
Producer move
Do not move animals, buy replacements, or promise export-linked supply until movement and buyer-access risk are checked.
Most connected scenario: Export or border disruption. Use the cluster to decide whether that scenario is warming or cooling.
Producer move: Bid cattle and feed with destination risk, freight, currency, and policy in the same calculation.
Water demand, shade and handling windows, dairy milk yield, pasture regrowth, hay substitution, irrigation demand, and feed-crop stress.
Producer move: Move water checks, shade, transport timing, and dairy heat-abatement ahead of the forecast peak before assuming cattle will keep eating and gaining normally.
Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Producer move: Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Producer move: Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
Impact graph
Ranked paths showing how market signals affect cattle prices, feed, weather, logistics, health risk, and producer decisions.
16
Paths
10
Sources
8
Scenario
23.7K
Live graph
Top path
Current signal
FAO Newsroom published a war, sanctions, or shipping-route item. Read it as a delivered feed, fertilizer, fuel, freight, and buyer-access signal.
How it affects
Early event awareness before official reports update: Buyer access, disease movement risk, export demand, feed input cost, weather pressure, and local sale timing
Past pattern
Same day to 3 years history usually shows up in Same week to 12 months: Delivered feed and fertilizer become more expensive or less reliable Local basis can diverge from headline futures or export values Local feed substitution, earlier sale timing, or destination hedging becomes valuable
Forward scenario
War and shipping disruption: Conflict, sanctions, canal disruption, or route risk changes grain, fertilizer, fuel, freight, and protein trade costs.
Action
Check delivered feed, fertilizer, fuel, freight, and route exposure before holding cattle longer or locking crop-input purchases.
Decision readiness
Shows whether each sale, feed, health, water, or trade decision is backed by current signals, history, scenarios, and local market coverage.
0
Ready
8
Watch
0
Thin
1.7K
Evidence
Is milk margin changing ration spend, replacement appetite, or dairy-beef supply?
312
Evidence
11
History
8
Scenarios
15
Markets
Current signal: 107.5 $/bbl in the latest World Bank commodity sheet. Read this against pasture input, fertilizer, diesel, freight, and working capital.
Action: Reprice the next gain period, forage plan, and delivered-feed bill before buying inputs or holding cattle longer.
Are corn, soy meal, hay, fertilizer, diesel, or crop balance changing the value of weight gain?
287
Evidence
11
History
12
Scenarios
15
Markets
Current signal: 1,957 million bushels in the May 2026 WASDE for 2026/27; -8.6% versus 2025/26. This is the official monthly bridge from crop/feed balance to cattle, milk, and sale timing.
Action: Put the WASDE revision beside local corn, meal, hay, freight, and weather before buying feed, buying feeders, or holding cattle for more gain.
Does the next weight gain still pay after feed, freight, basis, and buyer risk?
245
Evidence
9
History
10
Scenarios
15
Markets
Current signal: 1,957 million bushels in the USDA ERS Feed Grains Database. This is an official feed, forage, and byproduct-cost input for cattle breakevens.
Action: Reprice the next feed turn now: compare local corn, hay, protein, freight, and cattle bids before holding weight or leaving ration coverage open.
Weekly intelligence
Market moves, scenarios, history, local boards, and producer decisions to review this week.
10
Market moves
5
Scenarios
5
History to decision
5
Local markets
Lead read
2026-06-0630 % in the 2026-06-01 USDA NASS Crop Progress; -12.0 points versus last year. This is an official supply, feed, dairy, or pasture signal to read before treating local prices as isolated. Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
Shock watch
Trade, disease, weather, inputs, policy, freight, and geopolitical risk connected to producer decisions.
What changed
29 public items from GDELT Global Event Monitor, Google News public search RSS, Farm Progress, Beef Central, FAO Newsroom, USDA APHIS cluster around animal health. Latest: Screwworm border closure fuels beef boom in Mexico , gloom in Texas
What to watch
Track movement rules, border access, buyer eligibility, replacement purchases, and biosecurity before committing cattle flow.
Producer action
Do not move animals, buy replacements, or promise export-linked supply until movement and buyer-access risk are checked.
Market calendar
What to review today, this week, and over the next 30 days before sale, feed, health, movement, or coverage decisions.
Why review
Interest and credit changes hit input prepay and replacements before they show up in herd-size data.
Check before
Review before closing a sale, moving animals, buying feed, or changing coverage today.
Producer action
Run feed, replacement, and planting choices through a cash-flow calendar before chasing headline price.
Local market boards
Country, basin, belt, and corridor boards with action, public source, history, and scenario links.
United States · Dairy belt
United States dairy and processor belt combines risk 70, opportunity 83, 10 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use milk price, solids, feed cost, cull-cow flow, and processor demand before changing ration, culling, or replacement plans.
10
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Milk-feed spread, processor pull, dairy-beef supply, and replacement economics.
United States · Pasture basin
United States pasture and water basin combines risk 69, opportunity 83, 10 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use rainfall, heat, water, pasture, and forage signals before changing stocking rate, sale pressure, or supplement buying.
10
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Pasture recovery, water stress, heat load, hay availability, and forced-sale risk.
United States · Trade corridor
United States trade and health corridor combines risk 68, opportunity 84, 10 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use export access, border movement, disease notices, freight, currency, and policy signals before committing volume.
10
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Destination concentration, sanitary access, port flow, border friction, and currency translation.
United States · Feed belt
United States feed and crop belt combines risk 70, opportunity 84, 9 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use feed grain, hay, protein meal, crop progress, fuel, and credit signals before buying feed or holding weight longer.
9
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Delivered feed basis, crop yield risk, freight, diesel, and financing pressure.
Canada · Dairy belt
Canada dairy and processor belt combines risk 67, opportunity 83, 10 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use milk price, solids, feed cost, cull-cow flow, and processor demand before changing ration, culling, or replacement plans.
10
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Milk-feed spread, processor pull, dairy-beef supply, and replacement economics.
Canada · Pasture basin
Canada pasture and water basin combines risk 66, opportunity 83, 10 public layers, and 8 current signals.
Producer action
Use rainfall, heat, water, pasture, and forage signals before changing stocking rate, sale pressure, or supplement buying.
10
Layers
8
Evidence
5
Scenarios
Pasture recovery, water stress, heat load, hay availability, and forced-sale risk.
News and reports
News and reports that can move price, feed, weather, health, or trade.
GDELT Global Event Monitor · Jun 6, 2026
Check movement, replacement purchases, and export-linked commitments before assuming normal buyer access.
Google News public search RSS · Jun 6, 2026
Check movement, replacement purchases, and export-linked commitments before assuming normal buyer access.
Google News public search RSS · Jun 6, 2026
Check movement, replacement purchases, and export-linked commitments before assuming normal buyer access.
Producer priorities
Ranked by risk, opportunity, and timing.
Data signals
North America
Drought and forage board
Official USDM D2+ footprint for sale timing, hay, water, and retention.
Southern Plains severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
51.8 % D2+ area
Southern Plains cattle states: 51.8% of area is in severe drought or worse (D2+), 70.5% is in moderate drought or worse (D1+), and 24.2% is in extreme drought or worse (D3+). D2+ changed -4.8 percentage points week over week. Use this before assuming pasture will carry cattle or hay demand will stay local.
CONUS severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
31.2 % D2+ area
CONUS: 31.2% of area is in severe drought or worse (D2+), 48.8% is in moderate drought or worse (D1+), and 12.2% is in extreme drought or worse (D3+). D2+ changed -6.1 percentage points week over week. Use this before assuming pasture will carry cattle or hay demand will stay local.
Cattle states
New Mexico severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
84.5
Widespread
Colorado severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
76
Widespread
Nebraska severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
75.2
Easing
Oklahoma severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
45.5
Watch
Texas severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
30.6
Easing
Kansas severe drought footprint
2026-06-02
25
Easing
NASS livestock and crop reports
Inventory, feedlot, slaughter, milk, corn, and pasture signals from official public NASS report text.
Dairy
U.S. milk cow herd
9.7 million head
Milk Production · 2026-05-22
2026-05-22 NASS Milk Production: U.S. milk cow herd is 9.65 million head; +190,000 head versus the prior period. Compare it with delivered feed, heat risk, cull value, and replacement price before changing cow retention or milk expansion plans.
Pasture
U.S. pasture good/excellent
30 %
Crop Progress · 2026-06-01
2026-06-01 NASS Crop Progress: U.S. pasture good/excellent is 30 %; -12.0 points versus last year. Put it beside local corn, hay, pasture, freight, and weather before changing feed coverage, buying feeders, or holding cattle for more gain.
Slaughter
U.S. cattle slaughter
2.3 million head
Livestock Slaughter · 2026-05-21
2026-05-21 NASS Livestock Slaughter: U.S. cattle slaughter is 2.34 million head; -9.0% versus the prior period. Read it against local bids, packer calls, boxed-beef tone, and sale weights before assuming buyer demand is unchanged.
Slaughter
U.S. fed cattle marketings
1.6 million head
Cattle on Feed · 2026-05-22
2026-05-22 NASS Cattle on Feed: U.S. fed cattle marketings is 1.64 million head; -10.0% versus the prior period. Read it against local bids, packer calls, boxed-beef tone, and sale weights before assuming buyer demand is unchanged.
Official watchlist
U.S. milk cow herd
Dairy · 2026-05-22
9.7
firm
U.S. pasture good/excellent
Pasture · 2026-06-01
30
pressure
U.S. cattle slaughter
Slaughter · 2026-05-21
2.3
pressure
U.S. fed cattle marketings
Slaughter · 2026-05-22
1.6
pressure
U.S. beef production
Slaughter · 2026-05-21
2.1
pressure
U.S. slaughter cattle live weight
Slaughter · 2026-05-21
1,467
heavier
U.S. pasture poor/very poor
Pasture · 2026-06-01
42
pressure
U.S. cattle and calves inventory
Inventory · 2026-01-30
86.2
pressure
WASDE feed and supply
Official monthly corn, soybean meal, beef, and milk revisions that move feed margin before many local prices adjust.
United States · Feed
U.S. corn ending stocks
1,957 million bu
May 2026 · 2026/27
May 2026 WASDE: U.S. corn ending stocks is 1,957 million bushels for 2026/27, -8.6% versus 2025/26. Use this before locking corn, meal, hay substitution, freight, or retained-weight decisions; WASDE revisions can change feed coverage before local cattle bids adjust.
United States · Feed
U.S. corn farm price
4.4 USD/bu
May 2026 · 2026/27
May 2026 WASDE: U.S. corn farm price is 4.4 $/bu for 2026/27, +6.0% versus 2025/26. Use this before locking corn, meal, hay substitution, freight, or retained-weight decisions; WASDE revisions can change feed coverage before local cattle bids adjust.
Mexico · Feed
Mexico corn ending stocks
4.88 million tonnes
May 2026 · 2026/27
May 2026 WASDE: Mexico corn ending stocks is 4.88 million tonnes for 2026/27, -20.0% versus 2025/26. Use this before locking corn, meal, hay substitution, freight, or retained-weight decisions; WASDE revisions can change feed coverage before local cattle bids adjust.
United States · Beef
U.S. beef production forecast
25,378 million lb
May 2026 · 2027
May 2026 WASDE: U.S. beef production forecast is 25,378 million pounds for 2027, -0.9% versus 2026. Compare it with cash bids and packer demand before deciding whether weak or strong prices are local noise or real supply pressure.
Monthly revision
U.S. corn ending stocks
United States · 2026/27
1,957
million bu
U.S. corn farm price
United States · 2026/27
4.4
USD/bu
Mexico corn ending stocks
Mexico · 2026/27
4.88
million tonnes
U.S. beef production forecast
United States · 2027
25,378
million lb
U.S. sorghum feed and residual
United States · 2026/27
70
million bu
Canada corn ending stocks
Canada · 2026/27
1.55
million tonnes
U.S. corn feed and residual
United States · 2026/27
6,100
million bu
U.S. beef import forecast
United States · 2027
6,000
million lb
Global balance sheets
Official PSD country balance sheets for herd, beef, milk, and feed supply before daily headlines move bids.
Mexico · Beef
Mexico PSD beef supply and trade
2,410 thousand mt CWE
USDA FAS PSD Online reports Mexico beef supply and trade at 2,410 thousand metric tons CWE for market year 2026, +11.1% versus 2025. Supporting balance sheet: Domestic Consumption: 2,320 thousand metric tons CWE; Imports: 310 thousand metric tons CWE; Exports: 400 thousand metric tons CWE; Total Supply: 2,720 thousand metric tons CWE. Use it to separate real supply pressure from headline noise in export bids, processor demand, and cull-cow value.
United States · Feed
United States PSD sorghum feed balance
1,778 thousand mt
USDA FAS PSD Online reports United States sorghum feed balance at 1,778 thousand metric tons for market year 2026, -30.0% versus 2025. Supporting balance sheet: Production: 9,322 thousand metric tons; Imports: 1 thousand metric tons; Exports: 5,207 thousand metric tons; Ending Stocks: 864 thousand metric tons. Use it to test ration coverage, import exposure, and feed-cost scenarios before changing retained-weight plans.
Canada · Beef
Canada PSD beef supply and trade
1,315 thousand mt CWE
USDA FAS PSD Online reports Canada beef supply and trade at 1,315 thousand metric tons CWE for market year 2026, +4.4% versus 2025. Supporting balance sheet: Domestic Consumption: 1,057 thousand metric tons CWE; Imports: 320 thousand metric tons CWE; Exports: 575 thousand metric tons CWE; Total Supply: 1,677 thousand metric tons CWE. Use it to separate real supply pressure from headline noise in export bids, processor demand, and cull-cow value.
Country reads
Mexico · Beef
2026-01-01
2,410
thousand mt CWE
United States · Feed
2026-01-01
1,778
thousand mt
Canada · Beef
2026-01-01
1,315
thousand mt CWE
Mexico · Feed
2026-01-01
8,400
thousand mt
Mexico · Feed
2026-01-01
30,500
thousand mt
Canada · Feed
2026-01-01
8,800
thousand mt
Mexico · Herd
2026-01-01
19,510
thousand head
Canada · Herd
2026-01-01
11,250
thousand head
United States · Herd
2026-01-01
86,700
thousand head
Feed margin board
Official ERS corn, hay, protein, DDGS, and livestock-feed ratios.
Corn ending stocks
2026 Marketing year Sep-Aug
1,956.8 million bu
Corn ending stocks: 1,957 million bushels for 2026 Marketing year Sep-Aug; change versus the prior row is -185, -8.6%. Tighter corn cover raises the value of early feed coverage, basis checks, and ration alternatives.
Hay stocks on farms
First of May 2026
23,287 thousand tons
Hay stocks on farms: 23,287 thousand tons for 2026 First of May; change versus the prior row is -804, -3.3%. Low hay inventory makes pasture stress move faster into feed bills and sale timing.
Steer and heifer-feed ratio
Mar 2026
56.2 bu/cwt
Steer and heifer-feed ratio: 56.2 bu/cwt in Mar 2026; change versus prior month is -2.9, -4.9%. A lower ratio says cattle value is covering fewer corn bushels, so feedlot breakevens need a fresh check.
Corn price received by farmers
Mar 2026
4.27 USD/bu
Corn price received by farmers: 4.27 $/bu in Mar 2026; change versus prior row is +0.16, +3.9%. Read this with local freight before buying hay, corn, protein, or byproduct feed uncovered.
Watchlist
All hay price received by farmers
Mar 2026
156
Pressure
Soybean meal wholesale price
Apr 2026
333.3
Pressure
Distillers dried grains wholesale price
Apr 2026
202.6
Pressure
Milk-feed ratio
Mar 2026
2.25
Relief
Corn feed and residual use
2026 Marketing year Sep-Aug
6,100
Watch
Total energy feeds use
2026 Marketing year Sep-Aug
160,997
Watch
Market positioning
Weekly COT for cattle, corn, and soybean meal.
Live cattle COT positioning
2026-06-02
34 % net long / open interest
Live cattle: managed money is 33.8% net long versus open interest, with weekly net change of -4,435 contracts and open interest of 343,287. Read this before holding unhedged cattle weight or assuming local basis will stay firm.
Feeder cattle COT positioning
2026-06-02
20 % net long / open interest
Feeder cattle: managed money is 19.5% net long versus open interest, with weekly net change of 336 contracts and open interest of 58,048. Read this before holding unhedged cattle weight or assuming local basis will stay firm.
Corn COT positioning
2026-06-02
6 % net long / open interest
Corn: managed money is 6.4% net long versus open interest, with weekly net change of -91,201 contracts and open interest of 1,874,936. Read this before leaving corn or soybean-meal feed exposure uncovered.
Soybean meal COT positioning
2026-06-02
19 % net long / open interest
Soybean meal: managed money is 19.1% net long versus open interest, with weekly net change of 3,639 contracts and open interest of 666,639. Read this before leaving corn or soybean-meal feed exposure uncovered.
Market map
Click a node to change the local read inside the region.
Southern Plains
United States
Feeder bids vs corn and hay basis
Pressure reads
North America
Live signals
Jun 6, 2026, 11:33 AM
Decision cockpit
Choose a producer question and see current signals, sources, history, scenarios, and actions.
Current signals
Decision brief
204 evidence items across 29 source families. 52 % D2+ area in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. D2+ is the official severe-drought footprint to read before assuming pasture, hay, and water pressure stay local.
Price milk, feed, heat load, and cull value together before waiting for the next milk check.
History to future
30-120 days / 2-16 weeks
Move from calendar-based selling to forage-days and feed-margin selling.
Scenario
Recalculate whether the next gain period is still worth feeding.
Impact matrix
Public signals grouped by market pressure, with source, effect, history, scenario, and action.
Top path
Signal
Water demand, shade and handling windows, dairy milk yield, pasture regrowth, hay substitution, irrigation demand, and feed-crop stress.
Effect
Forward pasture, heat, water, and forage pressure: Sale timing, feed coverage, water checks, milk yield, weight gain, and crop-feed risk
Action
Move water checks, shade, transport timing, and dairy heat-abatement ahead of the forecast peak before assuming cattle will keep eating and gaining normally.
Source
Open-Meteo global weather forecast
https://open-meteo.com/en/docs
Current signal
North America: Southern Plains 7-day water demand forecast: heat and water demand watch
Water demand, shade and handling windows, dairy milk yield, pasture regrowth, hay substitution, irrigation demand, and feed-crop stress.
Impact
Forward pasture, heat, water, and forage pressure
Forward pasture, heat, water, and forage pressure: Sale timing, feed coverage, water checks, milk yield, weight gain, and crop-feed risk
History
Pasture stress becomes sale pressure
30-120 days history usually shows up in 2-16 weeks: More calves and cull cows move earlier Replacement animals face discount risk in dry regions Feed cost can erase the value of extra gain
Scenario
Drought tightens forage
Drought tightens forage: Pasture weakens, hay gets tighter, and more cows or calves can move earlier than planned.
Action
Producer decision
Move water checks, shade, transport timing, and dairy heat-abatement ahead of the forecast peak before assuming cattle will keep eating and gaining normally.
Check delivered feed and basis before buying feeders, holding cattle for more weight, or leaving protein needs uncovered.
USDA Export Sales Reporting
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
USDA NASS QuickStats and ESMIS reports
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
USDA NASS QuickStats and ESMIS reports
Use the COT feed read with local corn, hay, freight, and weather before delaying ration coverage or holding cattle for extra gain.
CFTC Commitments of Traders
Market search
Regional results from briefs, news, data, sources, scenarios, and actions.
12
results
6
Source
5
Scenario
30 % in the 2026-06-01 USDA NASS Crop Progress; -12.0 points versus last year. This is an official supply, feed, dairy, or pasture signal to read before treating local prices as isolated. Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Producer action
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
42 % in the 2026-06-01 USDA NASS Crop Progress; 42.0% of selected-state pasture is poor or very poor. This is an official supply, feed, dairy, or pasture signal to read before treating local prices as isolated. Feed coverage, hay buying, pasture carrying days, local basis, feeder bids, and whether extra retained weight still pays.
Producer action
Move this NASS read into the feed plan now: count forage days, price hay and grain, then compare selling lighter cattle against buying another gain period.
60.8 mm/week forecast for reference evapotranspiration. That is a forward signal for pasture drying, trough checks, shade, dairy comfort, and irrigated feed-crop pressure. Water demand, shade and handling windows, dairy milk yield, pasture regrowth, hay substitution, irrigation demand, and feed-crop stress.
Producer action
Move water checks, shade, transport timing, and dairy heat-abatement ahead of the forecast peak before assuming cattle will keep eating and gaining normally.
6 % net long / open interest in the latest CFTC Commitments of Traders report. Feed futures positioning is a weekly early-warning signal for ration coverage and crop-feed exposure. Delivered feed cost, ration coverage, feedlot breakeven, crop selling, hay substitution, and retained weight.
Producer action
Use the COT feed read with local corn, hay, freight, and weather before delaying ration coverage or holding cattle for extra gain.
184 thousand mt in the latest USDA FAS export-sales XML. Weekly change is +2605%. Corn, sorghum, and meal export pull can change domestic feed basis, ration coverage, feeder bids, and gain economics.
Producer action
Check delivered feed and basis before buying feeders, holding cattle for more weight, or leaving protein needs uncovered.
1,957 million bushels in the May 2026 WASDE for 2026/27; -8.6% versus 2025/26. This is the official monthly bridge from crop/feed balance to cattle, milk, and sale timing. Delivered feed cost, ration coverage, hay substitution, crop-to-cattle margin, feeder bids, and whether retained weight still pays.
Producer action
Put the WASDE revision beside local corn, meal, hay, freight, and weather before buying feed, buying feeders, or holding cattle for more gain.
Decision desk
A practical read that connects news, public data, historical cause, and scenarios before selling, holding, hedging margin, or buying inputs.
Selected market
Southern Plains
United States
Feeder bids vs corn and hay basis
Reports watched
86
News and reports
Live signals
14
Southern Plains rainfall against the prior 30 days
Pressure reads
5
Southern Plains severe drought footprint changes forage and retention risk
Scenarios
13
Disease alert or movement hold
Decision briefs
Live evidence compressed into the decisions a cattle, dairy, or mixed farm operator has to make.
6
Decision briefs
34
Market feeds
12
Scenarios
Shock radar
Live public events grouped into market shocks, then linked to sources, history, and scenarios.
86
Evidence pack
13
Market feeds
8
Scenarios
Entity watch
Countries, diseases, inputs, logistics, policy, and commodities extracted from the live evidence layer.
17
Entity watch
39
Market feeds
9
Scenarios
Impact pathways
Trace each live signal from source to causal rule, past pattern, scenario, and producer action.
18
Evidence path
10
Market feeds
8
Scenarios
Producer action queue
Time-bound decisions ranked from live market data, watched reports, local drivers, historical patterns, and scenarios.
18
Act now
0
Watch
0
Opportunity
Market briefing
Daily ranked signals that connect source evidence, producer action, historical pattern, and scenario test.
8
Act now
0
Watch
0
Opportunity
What changed
Events organized by region and producer relevance.
Source to decision
Click any step to open the source, driver, pattern, or test.
Decision paths
Explicit paths from public data to forward window and producer action.
Prices
Source to action
Cash cattle, feeder cattle, auctions, boxed beef
Forward window
2-20 weeks
Local bid strength and packer leverage
Sale timing, weight class target, and hedge urgency
Sell now, add pounds, or price-protect cattle before bids soften.
Weather
Source to action
Drought class, weekly narrative, pasture stress
Forward window
2-16 weeks
Forage pressure and early liquidation risk
Cow retention, hay demand, calf movement, and replacement price
Compare forage inventory against the value of carrying cattle longer.
Disease
Source to action
Official disease alerts and animal health reports
Forward window
Same day to 12 months
Disease event and movement restriction risk
Border access, auction flow, mortality risk, and buyer confidence
Check health status before moving cattle, buying replacements, or signing export-linked volume.
Crops
Source to action
Corn, soybean meal, hay, and dairy/feed balance sheets
Forward window
1-18 months
Forward feed availability and ration cost
Backgrounding margin, finishing days, milk-feed spread, and crop planting incentives
Use monthly balance-sheet revisions to decide whether to lock feed, sell lighter, or carry cattle longer.
Inventory
Source to action
Inventory, placements, pasture, hay, crop data
Forward window
1-18 months
Herd cycle, feeder supply, and feed availability
Replacement strategy, retained heifers, and forward feeder supply
Decide whether scarce replacement animals are worth keeping or selling.
Weather
Source to action
Temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall by coordinate
Forward window
2-16 weeks
Heat load, water stress, and pasture regrowth
Gain, intake, fertility, death loss risk, and shade or water planning
Adjust transport, feeding time, stocking rate, and water checks before stress peaks.
Cause chain
Global public news mentions of livestock, feed, dairy, crops, disease, fuel, trade, and policy shocks
Same day to 8 weeks · 72% Confidence
Buyer access, disease movement risk, export demand, feed input cost, weather pressure, and local sale timing
Use public event signals as watch items, then confirm with official data before changing cattle, milk, feed, or crop commitments.
Past to future
Export pull changes local basis
Lookback
4-52 weeks
Forward window
1-12 weeks
Price cattle and crops with local basis plus destination exposure, not only the national headline.