USDA released its food price outlook this morning. Monthly July over June prices were up 0.5 percent for beef, 1.9 percent for poultry, and 2.2 percent for pork – which hit its highest monthly retail price level in July 2021.
In the protein sector we’re seeing more of the same since 2020, i.e., higher demand and tighter supply, although with differing degrees among the various factors. For example, cattle slaughter is up and through put is higher than last year by more than 4 percent (though July 2021 was down 2.4 percent from the “catching up” harvest in July 2020 after a weak April, May, and June). But fabrication, de-boning and trimming, are still constrained from what would be typically normal volu...
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...
