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2018 a year for lots of meat, says USDA

Lower prices for producers on nearly every type of meat are forecast by USDA for this year which means lower prices for consumers. The reason is bigger supplies of almost every type of meat.

“We’ve got beef, pork, broilers increasing production year over year,” says Seth Meyer, USDA Outlook Board Chairman. Meyers says turkey production is the only exception, down just a little. Meyers says overall meat production this year should be higher by more than 3%. And that translates to lower prices for most livestock producers.

The final 2017 red meat production numbers will be out Wednesday and totals for March on Thursday. The USDA’s next set of cold storage numbers are out next Monday.