A late Easter this year is causing March processed meat sales to fall by 9%

The late timing of Easter this year is having an impact on meat sales.

Easter is considered the third-biggest meat holiday behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. The holiday is three weeks later than last year, which is impacting year-over-year data.

While dollar sales grew due to inflation, pounds purchased dropped by more than 4%. That was driven by processed meat declines, which include smoked ham.

While March was negatively impacted by the holiday’s late timing, April sales are expected to receive a boost.

Related Stories
Fertilizer still consumes an unusually large share of crop value.
Pollination costs remain volatile, raising planning risk for specialty crop producers.
Kerry Hartwig from Sukup Manufacturing previews the grain management solutions they plan to share with producers at the upcoming Commodity Classic in San Antonio.
FBN co-founder Charles Baron previews the upcoming Farmer2Farmer event and how technology and AI are shaping the industry, offering growers practical insights and farmer-led strategies for modern agriculture.
The USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum highlights modest price support from tighter supplies across cotton, grains, dairy, livestock, and sugar into 2026.
Farm Bureau Economist Faith Parum discusses the latest Farm Bill proposal and the path ahead for Congress and U.S. agriculture.