CattleFax Outlook Signals Cattle Cycle Turning as Strong Demand Meets Tight Supplies in 2026

The popular CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, shared expert market and weather analysis today.

“The U.S. cattle and beef industry enters 2026 with strong but volatile market conditions, as historically tight cattle supplies, record-setting beef demand, and elevated policy and weather uncertainty continue to support prices, even as markets appear to near cyclical highs. Tight inventories and exceptional demand remain the dominant forces shaping the market; however, producer demographics, high input costs, and policy uncertainty point to a...

Top 10 Headlines on Expana in 2025—and What Could Shape the Next Year in Food and Ag

2025 was a big year for news in the food and agriculture industry. Headlines ranging from livestock diseases and sweeping policy changes to rising geopolitical tensions, shifting tariffs, weather events, and evolving consumer trends influenced commercial strategies, supply chains, and global market dynamics... 

China's Meat Output Rises Nearly 4% Through Third Quarter 2025 as Imports Fall

China’s meat sector rose 3.8% through the first three quarters of 2025, driven by strong domestic poultry output, while import volumes slumped, according to recently released data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). 

The broader economic picture shows that the world’s second-largest economy grew 4.8% during Q3, its slowest pace in a year, as weak domestic demand left China increasingly dependent on strong export activity. 

Although the growth rate keeps China on track for its roughly 5% annual target, economists question whether the momentum is sustainable, given the country's reliance on external demand amid trade tensions with the United States...

Trade, Debt and Demographics Shape Next Era of Agricultural Policy – Agri-Food Americas 2025

Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, offered a broad forecast for the agricultural and food sectors, describing a “bifurcated” global economy and outlining megatrends expected to shape farming, trade, and policy through 2035. The remarks were delivered at Expana’s Agri-Food Americas 2025 conference in Chicago today.   

Dr. Kohl framed the global economy as divided, with the US performing relatively well, while much of the rest of the world grapples with slower activity.

Is a Recession on the Horizon? - Agri-Food Americas 2025 

Since commodities follow the macroeconomy, analyzing the broader economy, especially the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) – a timelier index than GDP, can help gauge the path ahead for commodity prices, Tom Bundgaard, Vice President, Forecasting , Expana, said at Agri-Food Americas in Chicago today.  

There is not only a correlation between PMI and commodity prices but there is also a lead lag between the two. The highs and lows in PMI come with a bit of a lead lag before we see similar peaks for commodity categories.  

New Resource from National Restaurant Association Provides Insights into Operational Realities

Dampened customer traffic and stubbornly elevated costs combined to keep pressure on the bottom line, resulting in modest profit margins – even by restaurant standards – according to the National Restaurant Association. Released today, the Restaurant Operations Data Abstract provides restaurant operators, investors, and industry leaders with a detailed financial snapshot of the fullservice and limited-service sectors.

Based on financial and operational data from more than 900 restaurants nationwide, the report includes a wide range of insights across key cost centers. These include food and...