WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — U.S. cold storage inventories are sending mixed signals across livestock and food markets, with tighter red meat supplies but larger poultry and dairy movements.
USDA’s latest Cold Storage Report shows total red meat supplies down 5 percent from a year ago, including a 5 percent decline in both beef and pork stocks. Pork belly inventories were an exception, rising 5 percent month to month, though still below last year. Natural cheese stocks were slightly higher than January but down 1 percent year over year, while butter inventories jumped 12 percent from last month but remain 17 percent below a year ago.
Poultry inventories showed seasonal shifts. Total frozen poultry stocks were up 4 percent from January, though still down 5 percent year over year. Chicken stocks slipped slightly, while turkey inventories surged 19 percent month to month, reflecting typical post-holiday storage patterns.
Lower red meat inventories continue to support firm livestock prices, while increased poultry availability may add competition in protein markets.
Overall supply levels suggest tighter beef and pork availability alongside more balanced dairy and poultry stocks heading into spring demand.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Tight red meat supplies continue supporting livestock markets.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
To mark the end of National Chicken Month, we take a look at how the U.S. poultry industry is making a slow and steady recovery following the widespread outbreak of High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI) in 2022 that devastated commercial flocks across the country.
September 29, 2023 02:44 PM
·
Egg prices have been on a roller coaster this year, soaring sky-high and falling back down to Earth in just a few months.
September 19, 2023 12:41 PM
·
September 14, 2023 12:52 PM
When it comes to Kansas’ “Right to Farm” law, and property rights with respect to road ditch right-of-ways and the common law and trespassing and nuisance — how far can one go without infringing on others? RFD-TV’s Farm legal expert Roger McEowen details a recent opinion by the Kansas Court of Appeals in a case involving a hog farmer, which, he says, is perhaps the most egregious ag nuisance case that has ever gone to an appellate-level court in Kansas.
September 07, 2023 12:14 PM
·
September 01, 2023 11:48 AM
Chefs Chris Carter and James Peisker believe we have the power to make the world a better place with every meal. Through Porter Road butcher, they are now turning this belief into reality.
August 23, 2023 01:29 PM
·
