Despite record highs for the beef cutout, strong consumer demand continues to support high beef prices. 

Heavier cattle carcass weights continue to help offset the reduced cattle supply. 

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.  

• Ribeye pricing remains at elevated levels and is expected to increase further as we approach the Xmas and New Year holidays.  

• Striploin pricing has strengthened as consumers consider the striploin a better value than the higher priced ribeye. 

• Chuck flat pricing will be increasing in November & December as the overall chuck complex remains surprisingly strong despite the high prices. 

• Chuck Roll prices decreased significantly in October but is poised to increase as retailers feature chuck items heavily in their ad features.  

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

• Oxtail prices have been increasing due to limited cattle supplies and increased demand ahead of the colder winter months.   

Moving forward, prices will remain high as beef packers are aiming to establish higher pricing levels for all beef cuts.  

With the cattle herd at historically low levels, availability will be the primary issue for certain cuts due to the tight cattle supply and continued strong consumer demand. 

With retailers focused on the Thanksgiving holiday and the short kill week at the plants, poultry prices are expected to remain steady. 

• BI Thighs – Availability remains adequate but is starting to trend upward as retailers feature BI thighs prominently in the meat case. 

• BL SL Thighs – BL SL Thigh prices have bottomed out and remain steady for now. 

• Leg meat – Chicken leg meat pricing has decreased as export demand to overseas Asian markets remain soft.      

• Breast meat – Breast meat prices remain steady and have bottomed out.  

• Wings – Wing prices will be decreasing as there is more than sufficient supply relative to the demand. 

• Turkey – Turkey prices remain high due to tight supplies and the ongoing impact of the HPAI bird flu affecting turkey flocks.  

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

With high beef prices, pork continues to present good value for both the retail and food service segments. 

Retail demand for lower cost proteins such as sausages, hot dogs, canned meats, etc. remains strong amongst budget conscious consumers. 

• Butts– Boneless butt & picnic pricing is trending downward due to overall softness in the pork complex. 

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

• Back Ribs & Spare Ribs-Rib prices remain steady as retailers feature ribs as a lower cost protein option than beef. 

• Bellies-Domestic belly demand has softened as retailers feature beef more prominently for their holiday ad features. For bellies imported from Europe, prices remain elevated due to the impact of tariffs and reduced pork availability in Europe.  

Pork Outlook – With high beef prices, retailers are expected to continue to feature pork heavily in future ad features

Mahi Mahi  

• Peruvian Season has been fishing for several weeks, since the beginning of October. 

• Majority of the boats are on the water fishing. The catch has been on the slow side. 

• Prices remain very strong on all cuts and sizes 

• Availability of fillets and loins remain very tight. 

• Ono loins are a great option to Mahi Fillets/Loins.

Pasteurized Canned Crabmeat (Blue and Red)  

• There has been a 90 days reprieve on the implementation of the MMPA import ban. 

• This delay was allowed to allow foreign nations more time to comply with import requirements. 

• Despite the reprieve, prices still remain high. 

Vannmei White Shrimp 

• No major updates on the tariff situation. There’s a lot of speculation going around, but nothing finalized. 

•  Sales for shrimp have softened over the past few weeks. 

• Shrimp is still a good value for seafood protein.