Market Trends of north america red meat Industry
Growing demand and reduced imports are boosting production
- The beef market was highly impacted by increased production costs during the historical period. The rise in production cost was primarily because of the dry conditions. However, beef production in the region was up by 0.56% in 2022 compared to 2021. Drought in locations throughout western North America during the past few years negatively impacted the region's production. Due to difficulty in locating enough food for their animals, farmers who rear cattle are losing money in regions ranging from western Canada to the states of northern Mexico. Some farmers buy feed for their livestock from other parts of North America.
- Canada is the second-largest beef producer in North America after the United States. The production share of Canada and the United States in 2022 was 5.46% and 50.15%, respectively. Despite a dwindling cow herd, live cattle imports positively affect Canadian meat production. In 2022, moisture levels were likely to be a crucial aspect in monitoring the trading of cattle. More cattle may be moved north if the drought subsides in Canada but continues in the United States. The declining cow herd and a smaller calf yield in Canada and the United States are resulting in long-term and tighter beef supplies in North America. On January 1, 2022, in Canada, beef cow inventories were down by 1% for the fifth consecutive year to 3.5 million heads. In Canada, 61% of farms have less than 47 cows, with 596,419 beef cows, 16% of the herd. All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2023, totaled 89.3 million heads, 3% below the 92.1 million heads on January 1, 2022. In addition to having the world's largest-fed cattle industry, the United States is also the world's largest consumer of beef, primarily high-value, grain-fed beef.
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Rising retail demand boosted the need for wholesale beef and drove market growth
- The rising retail demand has boosted the need for wholesale beef in recent years, which led to higher beef prices. Since 2021, retail beef prices have been largely stable, and the 12-month moving average of monthly prices has exceeded USD 7.25 USD per pound since April 2022. Given the record beef production in 2022 and the greatest per-capita beef consumption since 2010, at 58.9 pounds, this suggests a strong beef demand. Retail prices for all fresh beef averaged USD 7.30 per pound in 2022, which was a record-high price and an increase of 5.1% above prices in 2021. Tenderloins and ribeyes are up 12% to 15% Y-o-Year-over-year, and middle meat prices continue to dominate wholesale prices.
- Like retail prices, wholesale boxed beef prices have fluctuated within a small range for most of 2022. Since March, Choice boxed beef has had an average price of USD 261.77/cwt, with a weekly high and minimum of 272.48/cwt and USD 246.31/cwt, respectively, for a range of USD 26.17/cwt. Following very strong wholesale demand, Choice boxed beef prices averaged USD 279.81/cwt in 2021, with weekly maximums of USD 347.02/cwt, weekly minimums of USD 206.73/cwt, and annual ranges of USD 140.29/cwt.
- However, processing plants struggled with labor shortages that continued during the pandemic and in 2021, limiting their ability to process meat at the same rate as before the outbreak. This decline in production was due to the increasing demand for beef from consumers and restaurants, thus boosting the prices. The regional labor shortage continued in 2021, with a labor force participation rate of 61.6% in September 2021, down from 63.4% in January 2020.
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OTHER KEY INDUSTRY TRENDS COVERED IN THE REPORT
- The declining inventory of mutton is boosting the prices
- Texas and California account for the largest sheep and goat production in the region
- Lower rate of production leading to supply shortage is leading to price spikes
- Initiatives taken by the government to prevent the spread of diseases will propel the production
