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Economist says demand strength remains critical for U.S. beef and pork sectors

A livestock economist says strong demand continues to be crucial for profitability in the U.S. beef and pork industries.

Scott Brown says he’s looking ahead to this week’s Monthly Trade report. “For me, I think it’s going to be more of the same of tough on the beef export side,” he says. “We’ll still be bringing in lots of lean beef import side of the equation, I want to see where pork exports out of the United States look in this next round of trade data.”

He tells Brownfield he’s also monitoring domestic demand for both proteins. “Consumer sentiment, it’s going to be a very big week to see their position in terms of the overall look ahead,” he says. “I think it’s going to be important.”

Brown says another component to profitability for livestock producers is input costs, and this week’s Supply and Demand numbers from the USDA, which are out Friday, will provide additional insight for 2025.

Monthly Trade Data from the USDA is out Thursday, and Consumer Sentiment is out Friday.