Prime Beef Production Keeps Climbing
The cattle market has been sending a clear signal for quality, and the grading numbers suggest producers are responding.
According to a recent analysis from Southern Ag Today, a daily peer-reviewed publication focused on issues affecting Southern agriculture and supported by a collaboration of 13 universities, Prime beef grades have been increasing for years while Select grades have steadily declined. Authors David Anderson and Josh Maples report the trend has become especially noticeable in recent weeks.
Over the last two months, the percentage of beef grading Prime has been more than double the percentage grading Select. In five of the last six weeks, more than 17 percent of graded beef earned Prime status, while Select averaged just over 8 percent.
Why the shift? Anderson and Maples point to market incentives. Value-based marketing programs reward higher quality grades, while more days on feed, heavier finished weights, and strong consumer demand for premium beef have all contributed to the trend.
Even as overall beef production declines, there was 20.5 percent more Prime beef available in March than a year earlier.
For more of the details, visit https://southernagtoday.org/2026/06/16/prime-doubles-up-select/
