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Market swings take shine off beef prices, cattleman says

Market volatility is dampening excitement for high beef prices. 

Speaking to Brownfield at the 2025 Minnesota Cattle Industry Convention in St. Cloud, Minnesota Friday, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association president Jake Thompson says the cattle market has experienced some significant swings.

“I think there’s some guys in this room, even though we’re still in very, very good times, but blood pressure has probably been pretty spiked over the past month. And it’s all been manipulation of the market. Why do you want to get into a business like that? It’s hard to see that.”

He tells Brownfield threats of Argentinian beef imports and movement of New World screwworm weakened prices.

“And then all of a sudden you’ve got a packer in Tyson that decided that maybe they wanted to close a plant, and that affects things. I mean, it does seem like you’re fighting against a lot of people.”