Today’s WASDE puts total red meat and poultry production down slightly based on reduced output of broilers and pork. Beef production is up based on non-fed cattle slaughter. Broiler slaughter has been down so far this year while hog slaughter is slowing though slaughter weights are still high. So far this year, slaughter weights have averaged 293 pounds compared to 289 for the same period last year and 286 during 2019.
Pork demand has been strong so far this year. A rebound in the economy is supporting demand. While export totals for the year are forecast to be down from 2020 levels, last week’s export sales report showed big gains at 59,600 tons, up 86 percent from the prior four-week average and peaking at the highest level...
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...
