With Labor Day behind us, here is a look at the meat market going into fall. Total hog slaughter for last week was estimated at 2.391 million head, 1.5 percent lower than a year ago, making this the 15th consecutive week below year ago levels. Seasonal national average weights are starting to trend up, but the results are mixed.
Packer owned hog weights are up slightly over the last week but still remain below year ago levels. Last week the average live weight was 274.95 pounds, up slightly from 274.26 pounds, but still below 277.19 pounds last year. The pork cutout was higher on Friday, but the broader trend points to softer wholesale prices falling as slaughter and weights increase. Bulls highlight high beef prices at a...
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...
