A cattle industry analyst says this spring’s unexpected cattle market turnaround bodes well for the future of the industry. Doctor Nevil (NEV-ul) Speer, CEO of Agri-Clear, was the keynote speaker at an Iowa Cattlemen’s Association regional BeefMeet event in Creston this week. He says the fact that this spring’s cattle market rally was driven by increased consumer demand for beef is a very positive sign.

Speer points to two positive indicators that the increase in demand is “real.”

The other positive indicator, according to Speer, is the new record for the choice-select spread, at a higher level of beef production versus last year’s record high.

The challenge, Speer added, is to keep producing high quality beef that’s increasingly consistent. In addition to Tuesday’s event in Creston, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association hosted regional BeefMeet events earlier this month in Dubuque and Ottumwa. Another BeefMeet is scheduled for today (Thursday) in Le Mars.

(Radio Iowa/Reporting by Ken Anderson, Brownfield Ag News)