PLATTE COUNTY – With Wyoming’s’ second winter on its way out the door, many residents are already planning and looking forward to the summer grilling, rodeo, fair and activities season, which usually means, eating an ample supply of beef.
However, before stocking up on wood, coal or propane for the summer grilling months the US Department of Agricultural (USDA) reported beef prices continue to surge heading into summer as the US kicks off National Beef Month.
In the most recent report from May 22, the USDA reported the price of choice beef products increased $1.24 while the price of select beef products increased by 0.89 cents. Local beef experts had anticipated the price of Wyoming beef products to drop as various feed products, such as barley, corn, wheat and hay continue to decline and have since mid-February.
According to the USDA, while the cost of soybeans has dropped to pre-COVID-19 pandemic prices, the costs of other feed products remain double or more than what they were before the pandemic. However, the agency noted the cost of feed products in the Mountain Region, which includes Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, are trending lower than other regions across the US. Which is good news for Wyomingites, because this surge downward, will help bring the cost of beef down just in time for summer.
Good news for local cattle ranchers as summer auctions began to open, fed-cash cattle prices began their upward trend at the beginning of May to a record $222.52 per hundredweight (cwt). This is a $35 increase from a year ago and a $20 increase from the beginning of January this year. For three consecutive weeks, fed-cash cattle prices continue to see record highs.
Fed-cash cattle refers to the practice of selling cattle for slaughter based on agreed-upon prices rather than through futures contracts or other industry forward pricing mechanisms; in other words, it refers to direct negotiation between the buyer and seller at the time of transaction. This practice can be through private transactions or at times through various livestock auctions. This practice does not generally impact the prices at grocery stores or supermarkets but can be an indication the beef cattle industry is rebounding after recent years of disasters.

Pricing factors

Aside from the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, several other factors have played pivotal roles in the increasing price of beef, such as a bovine virus the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the USDA tracked in 2023 and 2024. Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) swept through the nation from roughly September 2023 through March 2024 and the agencies estimate about half of the nation’s beef and dairy cattle were affected. The Rocky Mountain and West regions were the second hardest hit regions, which included states like Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and California. Neighboring region, the Central region, was the hardest hit region and includes the following states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.
This virus, BVD, affects cattle at the cow-calf process as it relates to reproduction and can decrease fertility, cause spontaneous abortions and other congenital malformations in pre-born calves. Long-term effects to calves in utero exposed to the virus between 40 to 125 days of gestation will lead to lifelong shedding of large quantities of the virus via nasal or oral secretions and in feces according to the USDA.
Consequently, these cattle will never clear the infection in their lifetime, and their coexistence with the herd poses additional survivability concerns. Generally speaking, infected calves must be quarantined indefinitely to prevent future infections. Most bovines clear the infection within 7 to 14 days but remain highly contagious during the duration of the virus. Consequently, some mature bovines can experience persistent health issues like hoof malformation, chronic lameness or mastitis and significant weight loss, even after recovery. This can also lead to being a source of continued reinfection, which would require the complete removal of infected bovine indefinitely.
BVD is not contagious for humans or other animals such as dogs or horses, it predominantly only affects cattle but can spread to other species like sheep, goats and pigs according to the USDA.
Additionally, a number of fires in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Texas and North Dakota, the nation’s largest cattle producing states, affected the quantity of available beef cattle in 2024, which is still impacting beef prices in 2025.
The Remington Fire in Sheridan County buried thousands of pasturing or feed acres in northeastern Wyoming and crossed into Montana, causing widespread beef-cattle deaths and devastation to the cattle industry for local and national beef consumers. The 2024 summer fires in North Dakota and Texas resulted in the highest ever price spike for consumers at grocery chains around the country, including Wyomingites. 
Both the fires and virus outbreaks can take at least one full year or breeding season to rebound from, but in most cases, may take longer depending on how it impacted calves and calving season. Beef consumers will not likely see an impact on beef prices until next summer at the earliest, especially as demand for beef remains at an all-time high nationwide.
Due to these factors and several others, such as severe droughts, the USDA anticipates summer beef prices to continue to surge by an average of 6.3% all summer long as the US Cattle herd quantities are at record lows since the 1950s. At this time, the USDA reported the only impact to decreasing beef prices this summer resides in the cost of feed and demand for feed.
According to Wyoming cattle and beef experts, the most significant issue statewide remains the aging demographic of cattle ranchers and don’t expect to see many beef producers under the age of 35 in the next five years.
Meanwhile, local beef producers remain willing to negotiate with locals via private sales or at one of the numerous summer livestock auctions. A stimulating factor for beef consumers is a decline in beef exports nationwide which could push the needle in lowering the price of local beef.
The Torrington Livestock Market offers cattle for sale daily via live auctions, video cattle auctions and private treaty. Upcoming in-person auctions will begin on May 28, June 6 and 13, which will last through the summer months.
Other livestock auctions in Buffalo and Riverton also kicked off this Memorial Day weekend. Starting the second week of June, cattle auctions in Worland and Banner, will kick off the season via in-person and online auctions. Generally speaking, most county fairs, the state fair and Cheyenne Frontier Days also offer a number of ways for locals to purchase beef this summer at potentially lowered prices. Most Wyoming beef experts suggest communicating with your local Future Farmers of America (FFA) or Head, Heart, Hands and Health (4-H) club in finding available beef products.
The Platte County Fair and Rodeo kicks off July 25 and will run through August 3; The Wyoming State Fair, which is in Douglas, is celebrating its 120th year, kicks off August 12 and will run through August 16 and will offer livestock options; and a number of beef producers will be at Cheyenne Frontier Days, which runs from July 18 through July 27.

To get in contact with the local 4-H club, residents are asked to reach out to the program manager Jamie Hunter at the Platte County University of Wyoming Extension office by calling (307) 322-3667.