Cattle Market Divide: Why the North is Selling and the South is Holding Out | Cattle Call
- Media Logic Radio
- Nov 12, 2025
- 2 min read
KRVN Radio | November 12, 2025
This week on Cattle Call, market analyst Brad Kooima of Kooima, K0oima & Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa, joined host Chad Moyer to break down the widening gap between the northern and southern cattle markets. Kooima said a “terrific regional imbalance” in supply, driven partly by the ongoing closure of the Mexican border, has the North selling cattle more readily while the South holds back with tighter supplies and more leverage.
He explained that many northern feeders are holding cattle longer and growing them heavier in response to high replacement costs. With carcass weights still about 20 pounds above last year, Kooima cautioned the industry to stay vigilant. “We’re not in bad shape yet,” he said, “but we’ve got to pay attention so we don’t feed our way into a problem.”
A listener question about processing capacity led Kooima to note that while closures have happened in past tight-supply cycles, he doesn’t sense any major shutdowns on the horizon. “The big four packers don’t want to lose market share,” he said, adding that packer margins have improved recently as boxed beef prices rose about $7 while cattle prices softened.
Looking ahead to early 2025, Koima said the supply fundamentals support strong prices into spring—barring a major demand shock. Still, maintaining currentness will be key to avoiding trouble later in the year. As for this week’s cash trade, Kooima reported sales around $227, slightly higher than last Friday’s $225. “If I was bid $228, I’d probably send them down the road,” he said.
If you have questions for Brad, leave them in the comments of the video on YouTube to be addressed in next week's episode!
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