Total red meat supplies in US freezers on March 31 were down sl. ightly from the previous month and down about 2% from last year, according to the monthly Cold Storage report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Friday.
Total frozen poultry supplies on March 31 also were down slightly from Feb28 and down about 5% from a year ago.
BEEF STOCKS SLIDE
Frozen pork supplies, at 411.279 million pounds, were up 8.436 million, or 2.09%, from 402.843 million the previous month and up 1.795 million, or 0.44%,
Total pounds of beef in freezers were 410.518 million pounds, down 8.174 million, or 1.95%, from 418.692 million the previous month and down 14.655 million, or 3.45%, from 425,173 million last year.
Of that, 373.803 million pounds were classed as “boneless” beef, down 6.883 million, or 1.81%, from 380.686 million from last month and down 13.453 million, or 3.47%, from 387.256 million from last year.
Another 36.715 million pounds were “beef cuts,” down 1.291 million, or 3.40%, from 38.006 million a month earlier and down 202,000, or 0.55%, from 36.917 million a year earlier.
PORK SUPPLIES RISE
from 409.484 million last year.
Stocks of pork bellies, at 47.293 million pounds, were up 2.394 million, or 5.33%, from 44.899 million last month but down 7.245 million, or 13.3%, from 54.538 million last year.
Of the total, 85.593 million pounds were hams, up 1.667 million, or 1.99%, from 83.926 million a month earlier and up 23.362 million, or 37.5%, from 62.231 million a year earlier.
Another 32.757 million pounds were pork loins, up 1.408 million, or 4.49%, from 31.349 million in February but down 4.889 million, or 13.0%, from 37.646 million last year.
The US had 89.811 million pounds of pork ribs on ice March 31, up 3.681 million, or 4.27%, from 86.130 million a month earlier but down 1.969 million, or 2.15%, from 91.780 million a year earlier.
CHICKEN STOCKS DECLINE
Total stocks of chicken, at 756.763 million pounds, were down 14.246 million pounds, or 1.85%, from 771.009 million a month earlier and down 16.010 million, or 2.07%, from 772.773 million last year.
Of that, 225.602 million pounds were breasts and breast meat, down 9.710 million, or 4.13%, from 235.312 million a month earlier and down 12.200 million, or 5.13%, from 237.802 million a year earlier.
Another 49.795 million pounds were leg quarters, up 665,000, or 1.36%, from 49.130 million in February but down 10.408 million, or 17.3%, from 60.203 million in 2025.
Total pounds of turkey in freezers were 276.438 million pounds, up 21.960 million, or 8.63%, from 254.478 million last month but down 26.964 million, or 8.89%, from 303.402 million on March 31, 2025.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers last week ranged from $245.55 per cwt to $252.00, compared with the previous week’s range of $235.00 to $248.29 per cwt. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $386.05 per cwt to $397.06, compared with $373.20 to $388.53.
The USDA choice cutout Friday was up $3.50 per cwt at $387.00 while select was up $3.49 at $386.07. The choice/select spread widened to $0.93 from $0.92 with 47 loads of fabricated product and 24 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed the weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef as $447.72 per cwt, and 50% beef was $191.23.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.02 to $1.15 a bushel over the May corn contract, which settled at $4.55 a bushel, down $0.00 1/2.
No live cattle contracts were tendered for delivery Friday.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Thursday was $369.32 per cwt, down $0.68. This compares with Friday’s Apr contract settlement of $367.62, up $1.00, and May’s $360.90, up $2.02.