The answer may lie in what quality of cattle you produce. In the Texas Panhandle, more and more cattlemen are selling their cattle on the grid. When cattle are coming out of the feed yards, a cattleman has the option to sell for cash to a packer buyer or he can sell his cattle on the grid. To sell on the grid, cattle are killed and hung on the rail. At that point, the carcass is graded by a USDA inspector.
Yield is the amount of beef versus fat on the carcass.
In the future, buyers are going to demand better quality cattle from the country. Low carryover supply - exports key to price.