Cassandra Fish is effective as a beef industry expert who has always been comfortable in agriculture. As a rural youth, she grew up on her family’s generational, diversified farm near Warrensburg in #Agri-Ready Designated Johnson County. Her connection to the family’s small herd of registered Angus cattle came full circle after Cassandra graduated from the Kansas State University college of Agriculture and launched her career in agriculture economics at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Cassandra crafts valuable insights into the beef industry from her daily study of the markets; she looks forward to sharing those insights with producers when she visits Missouri as the keynote speaker for the upcoming 25^th annual Missouri Livestock Symposium.

Analysis by Cassandra

“In the U.S. we have a record number of cattle on feed and record low cow numbers-which has never been true before. It is an indication that the industry is mature and entering a different period, which is worth contemplating,” Cassandra shared. “In agriculture, we should never assume that what has happened before will happen again. The way we produce, being able to grow more efficiently with less resources, has never been more true. The biggest question is what will the current economy support? And that’s what makes it interesting.” Cassandra will share her fascination with the cattle markets and explore her perspective of the beef industry with Missouri producers at the upcoming Missouri Livestock Symposium. The event will offer education for farmers, ranchers, and the public with a trade show, speakers, and more on December 6-7 in Kirksville, Mo. For more details, check out the event website.

Rural Roots

“I felt a deep connection to the history of the land of our family farm. I didn’t over think it, it just came naturally for me. My home was in agriculture,” Cassandra remembers. “Even then, I don’t know what compelled me to pursue a degree in agriculture. College was different back then. My education was more about animal production. I didn’t understand anything about futures markets when I left for Chicago to work at the Exchange.”

A Student of the Beef Industry

Cassandra intentionally became a daily student of the markets. What she learned about agriculture economics during her time in Chicago would serve as a springboard for her successful career. Today, from her office in Amarillo, Texas, Cassandra offers analysis, advice, risk assessment, and order execution to cattle feeders, meat packers, end-users, and futures traders. “Nothing can prepare you for jobs quite like doing them,” Cassandra said. With thirty years of professional experience in the livestock and futures industries, her goal is to provide insights that guide the decisions made in every sector of the industry.

Cassandra’s Daily Routine

A typical day for Cassandra includes her cattle and beef market studies, examining certain daily and weekly statistics. She recognizes trends and cycles that allow her to draw conclusions that she shares with her consulting clients. She also reflects those conclusions in her daily blog, The Beef, which is available by mid-day and read around the world in 20 countries. “I am unique because I have a combined perspective of the industry encompassing production through processing. That perspective makes the blog valuable,” Cassandra says. “The blog is just a snapshot of the day. Sometimes it is exciting; on a slow day it may just be a few facts.”

Digging for Perspective

Cassandra’s work with her clients allows her to dig deeper. “Over my career the cattle industry has changed in significant ways. I seek context, studying the long-term cyclical nature of the markets. Evaluation takes perspective,” Cassandra shared. “And at the end of the day, my conclusions are still my opinion; they are just backed by lots of experience.” Cassandra’s expertise with facts and figures allows her to group and regroup them, seeking trends and patterns. Data is more than just dots to her; it exists in 3-D and rolls like a screenplay as time passes. Cassandra recently designed a data set into a new chart to illustrate insights she is excited to share at the Symposium. 

Sharing Her Studies

As an engaging speaker, Cassandra has had the opportunity to share her knowledge about the beef industry with diverse audiences. She has been sought out by major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. “My job is to provide reporters with information and help them understand it in the correct context so that their stories are most accurate,” Cassandra says. “I have lived in the city and the country, so I am comfortable speaking to everyone. I love to point out things that they didn’t know that make the story better.” Having worked with people from every aspect of the beef industry across the United States, Cassandra also has a unique perspective on the sectional and geographically regional differences of beef professionals everywhere. She appreciates that across those differences, the entire beef industry benefits from the same sound economic insights.

In her personal time, Cassandra enjoys time at the gym, fiction books, and Netflix selections. She rooms with Roscoe, her rescue dog. For more information about Cassandra’s services, visit www.cassandrafish.com.

Agri-Ready Designated Johnson County

According to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study, Johnson County’s agriculture economy creates $95.8 million in value-added products, supports more than 2,500 jobs, and generates $76.6 million in household income. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Johnson County ranks as a top 10 county in Missouri for cattle and calves produced.

Johnson County is one of 73 Agri-Ready Designated Counties in Missouri that are embracing agricultural opportunity, literacy, and economic development. The Agri-Ready County Designation program connects counties with Missouri Farmers Care to encourage and protect agriculture and secure it as a thriving component in our state’s economic future. Missouri Farmers Care is a joint effort by Missouri’s farming and agriculture community to stand together for the men and women who provide the food and jobs on which our communities depend.