USDA raised its total red meat and poultry production forecast for the year in yesterday’s WASDE report. Broilers were down based on year-to-date slaughter, but the rest of the year projections were not changed. Chicken demand is strong, especially with fast food featuring chicken sandwiches – in fact, Wendy’s raised its 2021 earnings outlook yesterday based in part on its new chicken sandwich and KFC and McDonalds are also featuring chicken sandwiches. Pork is down slightly based on expected lighter slaughter weights as feed costs increase. Those changes, however, are offset by the beef production forecast, which was raised based on slaughter volumes.
This is also the first monthly WASDE report to add forecasts for 202...
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...
