Transforming the animal feed supply chain with technology that powers smarter, faster, and more impactful decisions.
Oct 18, 2026
•
10 min read
In its October 2026 livestock outlook, the USDA reduced its 2026 U.S. beef production forecast by 75 million pounds to 24.8 billion pounds—marking the eighth consecutive monthly cut and the lowest annual output since 2015—while lowering 2027 projections to 24.7 billion pounds as a contracting national cattle herd alters feedlot days on feed and ration economics.
9 min read
The USDA Economic Research Service slashed its combined 2026 and 2027 U.S. milk production forecasts by 500 million pounds due to contracting cow numbers and softer per-cow yields, while hiking projected 2027 all-milk prices by $0.65 to $20.45 per cwt and expanding feeding margins across commercial dairy operations.
Downbound Mississippi River grain barge freight rates have plunged to $28.86 per ton out of St. Louis—29 percent below the five-year seasonal average—as autumn precipitation averts low-water draft restrictions, accelerating export terminal throughput while altering interior feed grain basis and co-product procurement economics across Midwestern livestock and poultry corridors.
Oct 17, 2026
Domestic distillers dried grains spot prices slipped to $193 per ton as post-maintenance ethanol plant runtimes rebound, while Pacific Northwest and California delivered rail rates tumbled over $20 per ton, cutting co-product protein costs to $7.15 per unit and improving feeding economics across beef, dairy, and swine rations.
An unseasonably early Arctic cold front brought freezing temperatures across the Northern Plains and Western Corn Belt, threatening late-planted, immature corn fields, depressing grain test weights, inflating commercial drying costs, and altering least-cost energy formulation across swine, poultry, and beef feed rations.
Oct 16, 2026
The USDA raised its 2026 and 2027 production forecasts for U.S. broilers, turkeys, and table eggs on heavier bird weights and flock expansion, driving feed disappearance higher while softening bird prices and squeezing integrator feeding margins.
Login Sign Up
