USDA released its quarterly hogs and pigs report today with most all categories coming in below pre-report expectations. Total inventory was 75.4 million head, at 96 percent of 1 September 2020, which was a record for the quarter. Inventory was 101 percent of 1 June.
This is the first year-over-year drop in the September hogs and pigs inventory since the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in 2014 – but, again, last year was a record. The last quarterly report showed the same – the first drop year-over-year for the June inventory since 2014. The year-over-year comparison – especially for June - is less instructive than typical, however, because June 2020 reflected the disruption to harvest caused b...
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...
