As beef producers stare down whiplash markets, policy uncertainty and a shifting processing landscape, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) CEO Bryan Whaley sees both turbulence and opportunity ahead.
“It’s pretty unprecedented,” Whaley explains on AgriTalk Sept. 21, reflecting on the current cattle environment. “You look at the volatility of the market; it’s one of those things that you don’t know where it happens, and then you come out like last Friday — what I would think was a bullish cattle on feed report with the placement situation that it is. So definitely some opportunities in this cattle industry if we can make our margins work on the fed-cattle side.”
Against that backdrop, ICA laid out a five-point plan aimed at keeping the state’s cattle sector on offense — by supporting young producers, expanding regional meat processing and doubling down on working lands and conservation.
Announced on Sept. 17, ICA’s “Building Iowa’s Cattle Future” policy package outlines five state-level legislative priorities designed to help Iowa lead the national herd rebuilding effort. Whaley explains Iowa’s unique mix of cow-calf herds, abundant feedstuffs and feeding infrastructure positions the state to lead during an unprecedented era for cattle markets.
Riding Out Volatility
Despite a bump in feed prices, Whaley says producers are still holding cattle on feed longer to chase better cash bids.
“I think [producers] continue to look at where they’re at in the market and trying to hold out and specifically get the best they can on that cash side,” he says. “You know, Iowa is a cash negotiated state for the most part, and I think that’s what they’re looking for as we move forward.”
Recent Cattle on Feed numbers and placements may lean supportive for feeders, but Whaley cautions penciling out profit remains the real test. Feed costs, basis risk and policy-driven shocks from Washington are all complicating the math at the feedyard.
“We’re at a time period right now where a lot of our producers are really making decisions on what they’re going to do,” he says, pointing to feeder cattle beginning to move through auction barns and private trades. “They got to make some tough decisions. And these types of comments don’t help us at all.”
Border Reopening and a “Doggone Good” Iowa Market
While the reopening of the southern border has drawn attention across the industry, Whaley stresses Iowa’s exposure looks different than for producers closer to the border.
“We’re not having a lot of cattle come across the border right away compared to where they were before they shut it down, and it’s having an impact,” he says. “But that impact’s more on the southern markets, and so that’s something we’re watching it from a standpoint of what goes into the feedlots, just to know where we’re at in total cattle on feed and those numbers.”
Even so, he believes Iowa’s structure gives the state a built-in advantage.
“I think we’ve got a pretty doggone good market right up here,” Whaley explains. “Iowa is very unique in the sector that they have between a cow-calf side and then they can put them right into the feedlot side, right? And with the feedstuffs that we have and the available land and infrastructure, I think we’re positioned very well for this cattle industry.”
That combination — cow-calf capacity, local feed resources and a strong feedlot base — underpins much of ICA’s strategy going forward.
White House Fridays and Policy Whiplash
On top of market swings, Whaley says the policy environment has added another layer of risk. White House statements and initiatives aimed at lowering beef prices for consumers may play well politically but often land at the worst possible time for producers trying to set a marketing plan.
“I tell you what, it has been an interesting month and a half, and it made State Fair interesting with all the announcements that came out,” he summarizes. “And not just the announcements that the administration made, but obviously the announcement with Joslin Plant closing — that threw a little curveball to us as well.”
The timing of federal announcements has become a running theme among Iowa cattlemen.
“A lot of people like to look forward to Friday’s, and in my world lately, it seems like those announcements are coming on Fridays, and I’d rather skip Fridays sometimes,” Whaley admits. “But we just have to work through it, and the challenge that it has created… these types of announcements just create such volatility and uncertainty in our markets.”
That uncertainty hits hardest when producers are locking in fall feeder purchases, feed inputs and risk management strategies. Whaley’s message to policymakers: Volatility carries a cost on the country side of the supply chain.
Priority No. 1: Young and Beginning Farmers
When the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association sat down to chart its five Iowa priorities, Whaley explains one issue rose quickly to the top: who will run the next generation of operations.
“You look at the average age of the cattle producers, not only in Iowa but across the country, and it is significantly up there,” he says. “A lot of people think cattle — it does take a lot of time and a little effort and some labor that goes into it. And, we’ve got to continue to focus on trying to find avenues for the next generation of our producers and making it less challenging for them to get into this industry.”
Escalating land values, pasture competition and the cost of seedstock all raise the bar for new entrants.
“As you look at how do we make an impact on some of these beginning farmer loan programs in Iowa specifically, can we modernize that beginning farmer tax credit and do some things differently to support the cattle industry on that?” Whaley says. “Our association sat down and said we need to look at the future of this industry and where it’s at, where it’s going, who’s going to drive it, and that was our No. 1 point — how do we create opportunities for these young and beginning farmers so they aren’t challenged on the capital side. That’s going to take, especially in those transitions.”
For ICA, succession isn’t a side issue — it’s the cornerstone of their long-term strategy. The association is calling on state lawmakers to modernize Iowa’s Beginning Farmer Loan Program and Beginning Farmer Tax Credit to better accommodate the specific capital needs of cattle operations.
Working Lands: Cattle, Cover Crops and Water Quality
Another pillar of the five-point plan centers on working lands and conservation. Whaley says Iowa’s Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program has blown past expectations.
“The cattle and conservation working lands program has just been tremendous,” he explains. “We did an announcement at State Fair. We added a million dollars to that program. That was gone in 10 days and they’ve now added some more money to that program just to help with that.”
The program, which began as a small pilot, has expanded to all 28 counties in the Des Moines Watershed and focuses on three main areas: cover crops, forage development and pasture development.
“When they called and said, ‘Hey, Bryan, that money’s gone already,’ it demonstrated the interest in how a lot of our producers are really looking at their operations right now,” he says. “Because it’s not just about converting land into forage or pasture, but it also has to do with cover crops. If you think about how we can integrate cattle into that cover cropping system as well, I think there’s an opportunity there.”
Beyond agronomics, the program speaks directly to one of the hottest election-cycle issues in Iowa.
“The big item in Iowa that’s being talked about this election cycle is water quality,” Whaley notes. “And as you do that, you know, as you think and go back in history, cattle have been a natural opportunity to help with that.”
He also underscores the need to protect Iowa’s agricultural land from urbanization if the state is to remain a cornerstone of the national food supply.
“We’re not making any more land,” Whaley stresses. “We’ve got to make sure that if we’re going to be a major player and a major significant contributor to this food supply for our country that Iowa has a significant amount of ag land, and we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of it.”
Regional Processing After Joslin
The closing of Tyson’s Joslin, Ill., plant sharpened producer concerns about hook space and local marketing options. For Iowa Cattlemen, that reality pushed regional meat processing higher up the priority list.
“One is just how do we expand Iowa’s regional meat processing,” Whaley says. “You know, with the Joslin plant closing, that’s created a gap there. We’ve had other plants that have picked up a little bit, but let’s look at other ways we can do some things regionally.”
He points to Iowa’s leadership in USDA’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program as a key platform.
“Here in Iowa, I think there’s specific opportunities to create some of those processing centers,” he explains. “But we know that that’s a capital-intensive operation. It takes the right type of management, takes the right type of ownership to get that done.”
Even with the challenges, Whaley believes strategic investment in regional plants could help stabilize marketing options for Iowa producers.
“We’re going to do our best from an association standpoint to be a part of really trying to see if there’s areas that we can find within our state that are willing to make that jump and that leap into doing that,” he summarizes. “If you have a processing center, we continue to move cattle through this state and be able to feed them as efficiently as we can, we’re going to be in a good position.”
In a year defined by volatility — from plant closures to political pressure on beef prices — Iowa’s five-point plan aims to keep cattle in the center of the state’s land use, conservation and rural economic strategy. For Whaley, the path forward runs through younger producers, stronger working lands programs and targeted regional processing capacity, all built on Iowa’s “doggone good” foundation of cows, feed and land.
You can listen to Whaley’s conversation on AgriTalk here:
