News

Red meat stocks down, poultry and vegetables up

The USDA says red meat stocks at the end of May 2016 were down five percent on the year at 1.1 billion pounds, with good consumer and export demand and at least some recent decline in slaughter rates.

Pork came out at almost 613 million pounds, six percent less than last year, and beef was pegged at nearly 447 million pounds, six percent lower.

Rising production levels sent poultry stocks to almost 1.3 billion pounds, seven percent above a year ago, with chicken up nine percent and turkey three percent higher.

Frozen vegetable stocks at almost 1.8 billion pounds were nine percent higher than last year and the highest at the end of May since the data was first recorded in 1962.