USDA’s Oct. 18 Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection document reported steer carcass weights at 880 lbs. Carcass weights typically peak during the month of October or November. As such, there’s a distinct possibility carcass weights may ratchet up from here. Nonetheless, this month’s record high (thus far) is no aberration; it’s a continuation of a long-term trend.
There are a number of drivers behind the long-term uptick in carcass weights, including supportive price signals, better genetics, nutritional strategies, use of beta agonists and overall management. At what point does the industry reach or achieve some type of biological threshold in which the trend begins to level off? Is the trend detrimental for the industry if it continues?
Let’s start a discussion. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
