Welcome to the 101st edition of Ranching.com – the leading cattle management resource for a community of 96,000+ ranchers and farmers.

🐂 Cattle Market Shift - Tyson’s permanent closure of its Lexington, Nebraska beef plant, a facility that could process nearly 5,000 head a day, marks a structural shift in U.S. beef packing and removes roughly 5% of national slaughter capacity. For cattle producers, that could mean longer hauls to alternative plants, regional cash price pressure and continued tightness in the market as remaining facilities absorb redistributed cattle.

🐄 Year in the Yard - A local veterinarian looks back on a full year working cattle, from herd health challenges and calving season realities to the everyday moments that remind us why we do this. His reflections capture the grit, heart and daily problem-solving ranch life throws at us, and they underline how important good animal care and partnerships are to keeping cattle, and communities, healthy.

🦠 Livestock Threat Watch - A new industry report highlights five major livestock diseases, including foot-and-mouth, African swine fever, New World screwworm, highly pathogenic avian influenza and PRRS, that could seriously disrupt U.S. animal agriculture, food security and trade if they spread. For cattle producers, staying sharp on biosecurity, early detection and response planning helps protect your herd and the wider food system from events that could ripple through markets and supply chains.

🧬 Better Mating Choices - Mating decisions in your cow-calf herd matter just as much as which bulls you select, they help determine how much gene combination value (GCV) you actually capture in the next calf crop. Understanding GCV and pairing genetics intentionally can boost hybrid vigor and make your breeding program pay off more consistently over time.

🔒 California Plant Closure - JBS is shutting down its Swift Beef Company case-ready beef facility in Riverside, California, on February 2, 2026, which will affect about 374 workers as production shifts to other locations. Although this plant doesn’t slaughter cattle, its closure reflects broader structural shifts in beef processing and could ripple through regional supply chains as packers adapt to a tighter cattle market.

CATTLE COMMUNITY

READER POLL

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

The winner of the industry prize bundle from our 100th edition newsletter last week is, Darrel Shepherd from Oklahoma!

Thank you to everyone for participating in the poll and for celebrating 100 editions with us!