Ag consultant optimistic about beef outlook

An ag consultant says he’s optimistic about the year ahead for the beef industry.

“It’s a wonderful time to be in the cattle business, there’s no doubt about it.”

Kevin Ochsner, president of Agcellerate and host of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, says economics are on the side of the producer.

“We’ve seen record high beef prices, and as importantly, record high demand.” He says, “I mean, demand is about price and quantity, and we’re selling more meat for more money than we’ve ever sold before. I think it speaks to the quality product that we put on the market.”

However, he tells Brownfield a historically small cow herd means those historically high prices could impact demand.

“We may see a partial rebuilding in the next year, but some people say it could last till ‘27 before we see a rebuilding of the cow herd.” He says, “The biggest concern that we see is consumer confidence.”

Ochsner says any trade war that impacts beef exports could also slow down the beef industry’s current momentum.

Brownfield spoke with Ochsner at the 2025 Illinois Grain & Feed Association’s recent annual meeting in Springfield.