Submit comment or question
Note: All comments are displayed with user's screen name. If screen name is not present, user's full name will be used. Please go to My Account to update your screen name.
Comment Policy: Urner Barry has made the comment feature available to encourage further discussion of our news stories. Defamatory or offensive comments, or comments deemed not relevant to the story will be removed, and if necessary, Urner Barry may restrict the right of individual subscribers to offer comments. In all cases, comments represent opinions of the poster only, and do not represent fact, news, opinions or estimates put forward by Urner Barry.
Email Address is required. Password is required.
CHART: Industry Expectations for Weekly Cattle Slaughter
Australian Beef Seasonal Outlook: Green Grass and Empty Pens
With breeding cattle inventory recovering from the lowest levels in over 30 years, there’s a unique opportunity to assess and then act on the future for the Australian beef industry. A number of challenges currently confront the Australian beef industry, including high cattle prices, low supplies, and China trade access. Australia’s position in the global protein world needs to be considered in rebuilding the herd.
Is Australia to be a supplier to high-quality niche markets, commodity supplier (of lean beef) to global trade, exporter of live cattle, or exporter of value-added beef to trade markets? “Any or all of these options may apply, but choosing one sets a path for the future. Decisions taken this year are not just about...
ANALYSIS: Turkey Thigh Meats Get a Leg Up
With springtime now in full swing, seasonal outreach is beginning to develop...
ANALYSIS: Pork Ribs Soar into April
Pork ribs traditionally witness a rally starting in April which extends into the summer months as increased demand for grilling reaches its peak. This year however...
State of the Market Episode 13: Summer-esque Pork Highs
This week on State of the Market, Market Digest host Laura Zinger and Market Reporter Russ Barton discuss the pork market. Russ details summer-esque highs for many items including bellies and trimmings due to low cold storage supply, light slaughter levels, strong retail demand, and more.
January Red Meat Exports Below Year-Ago Levels Amid Transportation, Labor Challenges
U.S. beef and pork exports opened 2021 below the large volumes posted a year ago, according to January data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
Beef exports totaled 105,047 metric tons (mt) in January, down 2% from a year ago, while value slipped 3% to $653 million. The decline was due mainly to lower beef variety meat shipments, as muscle cut exports were steady with January 2020 at 81,398 mt, valued at...
ANALYSIS: Boneless Breasts: Searching for Seasonality
Most key lines within the chicken complex have performed quite admirably so far this year and jumbo boneless breasts are no exception...
ANALYSIS: Cash Cattle Prices Are Stuck in Limbo
The weekly USDA five-area direct average fed steer price last week was $114.07/cwt, steady with the previous week but $0.78/cwt less than...
ANALYSIS: A Glance at End-January Pork and Beef Cold Storage Stocks
USDA monthly cold storage data released last week showed combined meat and poultry stocks held in the nation's freezer warehouses at the end of January at...
ANALYSIS: Q1 Production Outlook Lends Credence to Industry Expectations
The latest release of the USDA’s Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report is slow to raise any eyebrows as the ready-to-cook (RTC) production forecast of most key lines continues to...
Extreme Winter Weather and Bitter Cold Disrupts Meat Processing Plants
Millions of Americans are currently under winter weather advisories as extreme weather continues to bring unprecedented low temperatures across parts of the southern Contiguous United States. Record cold temperatures, mainly in the South Central U.S., are expected today and can range between 35 to 45 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service. The Arctic air mass is forecast to modify on Wednesday with fewer record cold temperatures, but temperatures will still remain well below normal.
These dangerously low temperatures not seen in decades coupled with snow and ice have created treacherous situations for the central and southern parts of the country. In Texas, millions of power outages have resulted from...
ANALYSIS: Do Large Forward Sales Help Future Spot Prices -- Strip Loin Rally in 2021
The January rally in strip loins has been fierce, with gains of 27 percent so far since the start of the year, compared to...
ANALYSIS: Steer Carcass Weights Begin 2021 in Contra-Seasonal Uptrend
Cattle feeders are currently contending with a large number of front-end supplies, as highlighted by the most recent USDA carcass weight data. The latest available information for the week ended January 23 showed...
ANALYSIS: Chiming In on Chicken Leg Quarters
Those with exposure to chicken back half items are no stranger to this year’s uninspiring and highly volatile trade environment...
ANALYSIS: Pork Butts at Decade Lows for December
Bone-in pork butts have witnessed pressure in the market since the beginning of October, following almost...
ANALYSIS: Australian Beef and Veal Exports to USA Hit Record Low in November
This week the Australian Department of Agriculture (DAFF) reported total beef and veal shipments to the United States at...
UK Government Consults on Ending Live Animal Exports for Slaughter
Plans to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening have been unveiled by the Environment Secretary today, in the start of a renewed push by government to strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader on animal welfare.
These proposals form part of an eight-week consultation, launched in England and Wales, seeking views on how to better protect animal welfare during transport.
Live animals commonly have to endure excessively long journeys during exports, causing...
ANALYSIS: Cash Cattle Prices Could See Pressure in Q1
Boxed beef prices appear to be seasonally topping after staging an impressive rally throughout November. Although some primals continue to be...
ANALYSIS: Weighing in on Turkey Drums
With much of the turkey industry now focused on satiating whole-body bird demand, supply side tightness, particularly within...
ANALYSIS: Turkey Drums Find Their Rhythm
With November now upon us, whole body turkeys are commanding much of the seasonal spotlight, however...
ANALYSIS: Nothing Average About Turkey Weights
This year being what it is, or has become as the case might be, there is not a protein offering on the street that has not had its traditional market world uprooted. Demand patterns have...
ADP Direct Poultry Acquires Cami International
ADP Direct Poultry announced the acquisition of Cami International Poultry. Cami is a poultry slaughter and processing company located in Welland, Ontario, and employs 55 people.
"I've believed for years that vertical integration was critical to the company's long-term aspirations. Cami's business operations end where ADP's further poultry processing operations begin, so there isn't overlap between the two businesses. This acquisition gives ADP a consistent supply of poultry with the size and specification required by ADP customers, which makes Cami the perfect addition to the ADP team' said Augo Pinho, President & CEO of ADP.
Terms of the deal will remain confidential, but 100% of Cami shares were acquired, and...
ANALYSIS: Chicken Cold Storage: A Reflection of the Times
August’s cold storage coincide with the current market status of most major lines and serve to remind us of the supply-side challenges which marketers continue to wrestle with...
A Snapshot of Plant-Based Protein Growth Amid the Pandemic
Alternative protein markets, and those specifically utilized in the production of plant-based meat analogues, continue to boon as a result of COVID-19 economic implications. Primarily used to produce beef-like substitutes, products from companies like...
Olymel Invests Over $30 Million in St-Damase Poultry Processing Plant
Olymel management announced an investment of more than $31.5 million to expand its poultry slaughtering and cutting plant in St-Damase, Montérégie, in order to diversify operations and add new activities. This project will result in the creation of more than 80 new jobs and bring the total number of employees at this facility to nearly 500, spread over two shifts. This major investment is aimed in particular at equipping the plant with additional cutting, deboning and tray packing lines, as well as new high-capacity, state-of-the-art equipment. The work, which is expected to last about a year, will take place without interrupting the plant's current operations and had begun...
China and Japan Suspend Pork Imports from Germany Following African Swine Fever Case
According to the German Food and Agriculture Ministry, China and Japan have suspended imports of pork and live pigs from Germany after a case of African swine fever was confirmed in a wild boar near the Polish border in the eastern state of Brandenburg, Germany. This comes as South Korea banned imports of German pork last week.
Pork imports of 40,230 tons from Germany last year accounted for about 3.3% of Japan's total imports of pork, the ministry reported. Japan did not import any live pigs last year, down from six in 2018. China's ban on imports comes as the country deals with its own spread of the disease. German pork exports to China total about...
ANALYSIS: Pork Offals in Cold Storage Decline as Fresh Supplies Remain Thin
The labor force continues to be stretched thin at many production plants following the wave of closures that occurred earlier in the year due to...
Rabobank Beef Quaterly Q3 2020: New Faces Shaping Future UK Beef Imports
Once outside the European bloc, the UK is expected to become the fifth or sixth largest beef-importing country. Consumer acceptance and non-tariff barriers will play significant roles in determining which countries ultimately supply the UK beef market in the future.
Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU continue to progress. “While pure economic reasoning and geopolitics normally play strong roles in trade negotiations, we believe that, in the case of the UK, consumer acceptance and non-tariff barriers will be equally significant in determining...
ANALYSIS: Digging Deeper into Chicken Leg Quarters
The uninspiring level of demand that sellers are currently contending with is nothing new for those with exposure to the back-half of the bird...
ANALYSIS: Turkey Cold Storage: Traversing Along a Bumpy Seasonal Path
The latest release of the USDA’s Cold Storage Report not only helps to speak to the solid supply positioning of major turkey lines, but it also highlights...
FEATURED STORIES
Atlast Raises $40M to Expand Production of Whole Cut Plant-Based Meat
Urner Barry Releases April Soy & Wheat Protein Report
Global Consumer Confidence Hits Record High
US Foods Releases 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Domino's and Nuro Launch Autonomous Pizza Delivery with On-Road Robot
URNER BARRY INDICES