Today’s WASDE showed USDA’s red meat and broiler production forecast down 5.6 percent from the March WASDE estimates, but only 1.5 percent lower than 2019.
Production is down on slaughter interruptions. Notably, according to the National Pork Board, today is the first day since 24 April that all pork packing plants are operating, though of course, through put is down. Slaughter is at an estimated 71 percent of capacity. A slower slaughter pace for hogs will be partially offset by heavier weights – both cattle and hog slaughter weights last week were up from year ago levels, a result of the backup caused by plant shutdowns. Chicken production will be lower on fewer hatchings and lower chick placements...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
