USDA released the April WASDE today with new 2026 meat production forecasts, changed from the March release.
Beef is now projected at 25.79 billion pounds, down 20 million from March, mostly on lower first-half steer and heifer slaughter. Higher cow slaughter will partially offset the reduced fed cattle slaughter, and heavier weights will keep production up. Imports are forecast to increase based on recent trade data and continued demand for lean processing beef for hamburger. Domestic consumption is forecast to be up as well. Yearly average cattle prices were left unchanged, with an average steer price of $242 per hundredweight, with the exception of the first quarter, which was updated to reflect reported price data through March. ...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices dropped sharply with traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. There were reports that Iran was behind an attack on a cargo ship near the coast of Oman, which would be a violation of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Pr...
On Wednesday, the White House submitted a national security supplemental spending request for $87.6 billion. The majority of the request includes funding for the conflict in the Middle East, but there are agricultural provisions as well. The supplemental funding package includes more than $11 b...
Can we really expect a bushel of corn to carry an environmental passport throughout the entire food system? One that reliably documents its carbon footprint, biodiversity impacts, water use, soil carbon, and other environmental attributes all the way from the farm field to the consumer? This is...
