Yesterday’s WASDE had a very bullish outlook for fed cattle prices, raising them again to an annual average of $162/cwt – the previous record annual average cattle price was $154.50/cwt in 2014. Hog prices are down slightly and broiler prices up slightly.
Cattle prices are projected higher even though beef production was forecast up slightly on higher slaughter for the first three quarters of the year due to increased cow slaughter and higher feeder cattle placements. Pork production was lowered from last month on lower projected slaughter weights. Broilers are up on increased hatchery data. Total red meat and broiler production is forecast down -0.7 percent from last year.
With tight U.S. cattle supplies, beef imports are...
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...
