USDA lowered its estimates for production, imports and exports of beef, which fits with the narrative of a commodity facing threats all around. Every day there are news headlines popularizing alternatives from plant-based to cellular-grown similar product. Where some in the industry see a threat, others are investing in the alternatives even as they continue to sell the real thing. The alternatives need not be a threat, though. First, there are plenty of consumer-level contradictions. For example, plant-based proteins are being popularized for humans at the same time pet food manufacturers are emphasizing the lack of plants in their protein heavy products, specifically avoiding wheat, corn and soybeans. Second, beef is both the everyday ch...

TAGS – Livestock, China, Europe, North America