Strong consumer demand continues to support high beef prices and has pushed the beef cutout to record highs. 

With limited cattle availability and packers paying historically high prices for cattle, beef prices are expected to remain at elevated levels. 

Beef companies remain under pressure to minimize operating losses, so reduced slaughter levels could become permanent. 

Despite lower beef production than last year, heavier cattle carcass weights have With cattle being kept on feed longer, grading for choice, premium, and prime remains strong. Availability for lower grades such as select continues to be limited, which is supporting higher prices. 

Ground beef pricing surged to historically high levels through the Fourth of July holiday but is expected to soften as we approach the fall months. 

However, the Trump administration’s declaration of a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports could result in higher grind prices as the U.S. heavily imports lean trim from Brazil. 

• Ribeye pricing remains at elevated levels but is expected to soften in July as we move out of the summer grilling season. However, with prices expected to decrease, suspended fresh buyers are beginning to step in to secure inventory for the holidays. 

• Striploin pricing has been at unseasonably high levels on par with ribeye’s but will be decreasing as seasonal summer demand subsides. 

• Chuck flat pricing will increase slightly in July due to packers limiting slaughter levels and the overall strength of the chuck complex. For August, prices will increase more significantly as the reduced processing capacity at the plants is limiting availability and pushing prices higher. 

• Chuck Roll prices remain high as end cuts are being utilized to fill grind demand and make up for the short fall of grind trim. 

• Sliced beef short rib pricing continues to remain at elevated levels due to limited availability of raw material. 

• Oxtail prices remain stable for now but are under pressure due to the limited cattle supplies. 

With tight cattle supplies and continued strong consumer demand, beef prices will remain elevated. 

With temperatures heating up in poultry producing states, producers are monitoring how this affects hatchability and bird mortality. 

Overall chicken demand remains strong and consistent as retailers continue to feature chicken meat parts in their weekly ad features. 

• BI Thighs –Availability for BI Thighs continues to be limited as retailers continue to feature poultry heavily. 

• BL SL Thighs –BL SL Thigh prices have been decreasing but could increase depending on the impact of warmer weather. 

• Legmeat–Chicken leg meat pricing remains at elevated levels and has been further supported by shifting demand from breast meat. 

• Breastmeat–Breast meat prices decreased significantly in June as the market adjusted down from inflated price levels. 

• Wings –Wing prices have bottomed out and will be increasing as we approach the beginning of NFL & college football season. 

• Turkey –Turkey prices have been increasing due to the reduced turkey supply and shortage of product in the marketplace. 

Poultry Outlook –With high beef prices, poultry remains the protein of choice for consumers seeking value and affordability. 

With high beef and chicken prices, pork remains the best value for both the retail and food service segments. 

Post Fourth of July, retail pork demand has softened but overall remains strong and is supporting higher prices for almost all parts. 

• Butts–Boneless butt pricing is trending downward due to reduced exports to Asian markets. Bone In butt prices will be decreasing more significantly with boneless demand softening. 

• Hams –Ham demand remains strong as tariffs have not negatively impacted exports to Mexico. 

• Back Ribs & Spare Ribs – Rib prices remain strong as retailers feature ribs prominently on their front-page summer grilling ads. 

• Bellies –Domestic belly demand has been supporting higher prices as bacon is being featured prominently in retail ads. For bellies imported from Europe, higher prices are expected due to the impact of tariffs and reduced pork availability in Europe. 

Pork Outlook –With strong seasonal demand and higher prices in competing proteins, pork prices are expected to remain firm as retailers feature pork more heavily in their summer ad features. 

Snow Crab 

• Canadian Season will be complete by the end of July. 

• Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence has completed their quota as of 7/14/2025. 

• Newfoundland is about 90% complete with their fishing. The processing facilities are still filling backorders. 

• Prices remain firm as there are limited amounts of non-committed inventory. 

Cold Water Lobster Tails  

• The Canadian Spring Season has ended. 

• Pricing remains firm on all tails 7/8oz and smaller. 

• All Lobster Meat products are tight in supply and firm pricing. This is due to the lack of raw materials to be processed. 

Mahi Mahi 

• Taiwan and Indonesian main season are complete. 

• There is minimal production in factories due to the lack of raw materials. 

• Importers are very short on Fillets and Loins. 

• Processors are putting their labor towards value added products. 

Vannmei White Shrimp (India) 

• Prices remain stable for now. 

• The supply remains at a decent level. 

• Next new harvest for India will begin in late August.