Livestock Marketing Information Center
In The Cattle Markets
Updated: 7/14/2025
New world Screwworm Moves North Adding to Market Volatility
New detections of new world screwworm (NWS) in Mexico led Sec. Brooke Rollins to close Southern ports of entry to livestock imports. USDA had previously announced a phased re-opening of Southern ports, beginning with the furthest port away from where NWS has been detected in Mexico and moving East as continued progress is made on sterile fly production. However, the re-opening was halted, and livestock imports once again paused, when NWS was detected 160 miles North of the sterile fly dispersal locations in Veracruz, Mexico–only 370 miles from the U.S. border.
Livestock Monitor
Updated: 7/7/2025
CORN PLANTINGS AT 95.2 MIL. ACRES, MOST SINCE 2013
USDA estimates that corn plantings this spring will be 95.2 million acres, in line with farmer-reported intentions in March and the most area planted to corn since 2013. The Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) is using an average of 177.3 bushels per acre, which is the same average used for the 2023 corn crop that totaled 15.3 billion bushels. With this year’s planted acreage leading to a harvested area of 86.8 million acres and the average yield of 177.3 bushels, corn production should be 15.4 billion bushels. Adding an expected carryover of 1.7 billion bushels from the 2024 crop, leaves a record-large supply of corn for the US market in the 2025/26 marketing year.
JUNE 1 HOGS AND PIGS SUMMARY
The June 1 Hogs and Pigs report was released on June 26 by USDA-NASS. Overall, hog and pig inventories came in above expectations, signaling more supply than analysts had anticipated going into the summer quarter; although, more generally, outcomes were fairly neutral. In the report, all hogs and pigs rose +0.3% to 75.1 million head as of June 1. Pre-report estimates had anticipated total inventories to have declined -0.2%, with a maximum upward movement of +0.2%, placing the reported value outside of analysts’ expectations. In the mix, those kept for breeding (-0.5% to 6 million head) and those kept for marketing (+0.4% to 69.2 million head) were also outside of analysts’ forecasts. Average pre-report estimates had hogs kept for breeding down only -0.1% and within a range of down -0.3% to up +0.2%, while hogs kept for marketing had an average forecast of down -0.2% and within a range of down -0.5% to up +0.3%.
MILK COW HERD UP 90,000 COWS IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 2025
The May count of milk cows by the USDA-National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) showed a 5,000-head increase from April to 9.445 million head. The herd count was revised from the estimate made one month earlier of 9.425 million head. The modest gain of 5,000 head in May followed sizable (in revisions) jumps of 20,000 head in April and 24,000 head in March. A gain from December to January of 34,000 head tabulates to a 90,000-head increase in the dairy cow herd so far this year. The last time the dairy herd expanded at this pace was in the last half of 2020. At that time, the expansion continued for another six months into 2021 with 50,000 more cows added to the herd. The current expansion is consistent with profitability for dairy producers in 2024, as income over feed cost analysis showed the best returns in over 10 years.
Livestock Monitor (pdf)