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Managing risk top of mind in cattle industry

Record cattle prices have more producers considering risk management strategies than ever. 

Ted Prehn is a southern Illinois cattle producer and processor.

“This market has gone up for the last three years, and will it correct itself?”  He says, “Sure, I’m certain everything corrects itself, but who knows to the degree.”

Josh St. Peters, executive vice president with the Illinois Beef Association, says the USDA’s Livestock Risk Protection program is helping all sizes of producers navigate the volatile marketplace with more certainty.

“We’ve been holding our breath for a while now and continuing to anticipate that there could be a shift in the cycle.”  He says, “We’re not there today, but risk management comes to the forefront around how we prepare our businesses for that.”

He tells Brownfield there are other private programs that can also offer producers protection.

“The number of businesses that offer that as a service line that they offer, versus where we were at five or six years ago, it’s really taken off and I think that’s an important thing,” he says.

St. Peters says the number of producers reaching out for risk protection assistance continues to climb as the relatively new programs become more well known in the industry.

Brownfield spoke with both at the 2026 IBA annual meeting in Springfield.

AUDIO: Josh St. Peters – Illinois Beef