USDA’s Ag Marketing Service Packers and Stockyards Division (PSD) released a draft of the first of three proposed rules today: Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments, aka the “tournament pricing rule.” Two more rules, covering livestock and poultry, are expected later this summer or early fall:
Clarifying the scope of the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA), which will address allegations brought against packers or dealers made under PSA must show economic harm or likely harm
Determining unfair practices under the PSA which sets the standards for what purchase or contract terms would be considered unreasonable preferential or discriminatory.
Of course, eliminating the need to show eco...
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...
