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The Cattle Business Weekly

For cattlemen, by cattlemen is this podcast bringing you the latest in cattle industry headlines straight from the news desk of The Cattle Business Weekly in South Dakota. It's a dose of what's happening in markets, on the ranch and in Washington, D.C. It's news about everything that impacts a cattle operation's bottomline (aka profit). Listen to us in the feed truck, on the way to a cattle sale or on the porch with a beer! We promise you won't go away without having learned something.

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The Cattle Business Weekly

Cattle Finishing Breakeven Prices and Net Returns

July 15, 2026

0:00 | 3:18

A new report from Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture examines the economics of cattle finishing, finding that despite historically strong fed cattle prices, profitability is being squeezed by expensive feeder cattle and elevated breakeven costs. The report notes that cattle finishing remains a narrow-margin business, with profits depending largely on the relationship between feeder cattle prices, fed cattle prices, and feed costs rather than any single factor. Feed costs remain elevated Feeding cost of gain has stayed above 0 per hundredweight since mid-2021. In 2026, costs have ranged from 1 to 4 per hundredweight and are expected to remain...

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