Readings on specific livestock commodities can be found in the cattle, hogs, poultry and eggs, dairy, sheep and wool, and aquaculture topic areas.

• Prices and Marketing
• International Trade and Markets
• Animal Care and Food Safety
• Production and Resources
• Other Links

Prices and Marketing

• Comparing Two Sources of Retail Meat Price Data, Economic Research Report, November 2009
• Supermarket Loss Estimates for Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, and Seafood and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data, Economic Information Bulletin, March 2009
• Agricultural Commodity Price Spikes in the 1970s and 1990s: Valuable Lessons for Today, Amber Waves, March 2009
• Fluctuating Food Commodity Prices: A Complex Issue With No Easy Answers, Amber Waves, November 2008
• Global Agricultural Supply and Demand: Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food Commodity Prices, International Agriculture and Trade Report, July 2008
• Agricultural Contracting Update, 2005, Economic Information Bulletin, April 2008
• Products Markets in 2005 and Forecasts for 2006, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, September 2006
• Agricultural Contracting: Trading Autonomy for Risk Reduction, Ambers Waves, February 2006
• Agricultural Contracting Update: Contracts in 2003, Economic Information Bulletin, January 2006
• Did the Mandatory Requirement Aid the Market? Impact of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, September 2005
• Structural Change in the Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Grain Processing Industries, Economic Research Report, April 2005
• Contracts, Markets, and Prices: Organizing the Production and Use of Agricultural Commodities, Economic Research Report, November 2004
• Interstate Livestock Movements, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, June 2003
• Controversies in Livestock Pricing, Agricultural Outlook, December 2002
• Consumer Acceptance of Irradiated Meat and Poultry Products, Agriculture Information Bulletin, August 2000
• U.S. Beef Industry: Cattle Cycles, Price Spreads, and Packer Concentration, Technical Bulletin, April 1999

International Trade and Markets

• Trade, the Expanding Mexican Beef Industry, and Feedlot and Stocker Cattle Production in Mexico, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook e-Outlook, August 2011.
• Cow-Calf Beef Production in Mexico, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, November 2010.
• Factors Shaping Expanding U.S. Red Meat Trade, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, February 2009
• Economic Impacts of Foreign Animal Disease, Economic Research Report, May 2008
• Global Market Opportunities Drive Beef Production Decisions in Argentina and Uruguay, Amber Waves, April 2008
• How Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) Has Affected World Poultry-Meat Trade, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, October 2007
• Beef Production, Markets, and Trade in Argentina and Uruguay: An Overview, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, September 2007
• Products Markets in 2005 and Forecasts for 2006, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, September 2006
• An Economic Chronology of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in North America, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, June 2006
• Economic Effects of Animal Diseases Linked to Trade Dependency, Amber Waves, April 2006
• Brazil Emerges as Major Force in Global Meat Markets, Amber Waves, April 2006
• Disease-Related Trade Restrictions Shaped Animal Product Markets in 2004 and Stamp Imprints on 2005 Forecasts, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, August 2005
• North America Moves Toward One Market, Amber Waves, June 2005
• Market Integration of the North American Animal Products Complex, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, May 2005
• U.S.-Canadian Hog Trade: Market Integration at Work, Amber Waves, February 2005
• Market Integration in the North American Hog Industries, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, November 2004
• 2003 and 2004 Livestock and Poultry Trade Influenced by Animal Disease and Trade Restrictions, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, July 2004
• Live Cattle Exports from Mexico into the United States, Choices, March 2004
• Country-of-Origin Labeling: Theory and Observation, International Agriculture and Trade Report, January 2004
• International Trade of Meat/Poultry Products and Food Safety Issues, Agricultural Economics Report, November 2003
• Structure of the Global Markets for Meat, Agriculture Information Bulletin, September 2003
• Pork Policies in Japan, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, March 2003
• Taiwan's Hog Industry 3 Years After Disease Outbreak, Agricultural Outlook, October 2000

Animal Care and Food Safety

• Economic Impacts of Feed-Related Regulatory Responses to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook special article, September 2008
• Meat and Poultry Plants' Food Safety Investments: Survey Findings, Technical Bulletin, May 2004
• Savvy Buyers Spur Food Safety Innovations in Meat Processing, Amber Waves, April 2004
• Food Safety Innovation in the United States: Evidence from the Meat Industry, Agricultural Economics Report, April 2004
• Food Traceability: One Ingredient in a Safe and Efficient Food Supply, Amber Waves, April 2004
• Traceability in the U.S. Food Supply: Economic Theory and Industry Studies, Agricultural Economics Report, March 2004
• Livestock Drugs: More Questions Than Answers?,   Agricultural Outlook, September 2001
• Dissecting the Challenges of Mad Cow and Foot-and-Mouth Disease,   Agricultural Outlook, August 2001
• Impact of Consumer Demand for Animal Welfare on Global Trade,  International Agriculture and Trade Report, June 2001
• Antimicrobial Drug Use and Veterinary Costs in U.S. Livestock Production, Agriculture Information Bulletin, May 2001

Production and Resources

• Where's the (Not) Meat?-Byproducts From Beef and Pork Production, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, e-Outlook, November 2011.
• Cattle Sector Production Practices and Regional Price Differences, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, April 2011.
• Ethanol Co-product Use In U.S. Cattle Feeding:  Lessons Learned and Considerations, Feed Outlook, April 2009.
• Grain Prices Impact Entire Livestock Production Cycle, Amber Waves, March 2009
• The Transformation of U.S. Livestock Agriculture: Scale, Efficiency, and Risks, Economic Information Bulletin, January 2009
• The Future of Animal Agriculture in North America, Choices, July 2006
• Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, Economic Information Bulletin, July 2006
• Managing Manure to Improve Air and Water Quality, Economic Research Report, September 2005
• Characteristics and Production Costs, Statistical Bulletin, November 2004
• Managing Manure: New Clean Water Act Regulations Create Imperative for Livestock Producers, Amber Waves, February 2003
• Confined Animal Production and Manure Nutrients, Agriculture Information Bulletin, July 2001

Other Links

U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA's Homeland Security page provides information about what USDA is doing to keep U.S. food and agriculture safe and includes links to related websites.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides data on livestock production and State- and national-level prices.

• Livestock Slaughter contains data on cattle, calves, sheep, lambs, hogs, and pigs slaughtered in commercial and federally inspected plants.
• Census of Agriculture contains national, State, and county-level data on livestock.

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products.

• Market News provides current, unbiased price and sales information to assist the orderly marketing and distribution of farm commodities.
• Livestock and Seed Program administers meat grading and certification; the livestock, meat, and grain market news service; and regulatory and testing activities.
• Poultry Programs facilitate the marketing of poultry, eggs, egg products, and rabbits through grading, certification, standardization, market news, and commodity procurement services.
• Dairy Programs focus on providing orderly marketing of milk and adequate supplies of high-quality dairy products at reasonable prices.
• Program implementation updates and other information related to Country of Origin Labeling are supplied.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) provides reports and data on supply and demand (including imports and exports) for major trading countries and current world market and trade reports.

• Current World Production, Market, and Trade Reports provide information and data on world markets and trade for livestock, poultry, and dairy.
• FAS commodity pages include meat, livestock, poultry, and eggs and fish and seafood.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) covers animal health and animal welfare issues.

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled.

Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) facilitates the marketing of livestock, poultry, meat, cereals, oilseeds, and related agricultural products and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and U.S. agriculture.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) conducts research to develop and transfer solutions for agricultural problems of high national priority.

• National Program on Rangeland, Pasture, and Forages conducts interdisciplinary research on rangeland, pasture, and forage management.

National Agricultural Library, National Agricultural Library Digital Repository (NALDR) offers online browsing of historical ERS Agricultural Economic Reports and Agriculture Information Bulletins.

Universities and Affiliated Organizations

The Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) provides economic analysis and projections concerning issues and conditions in the livestock industry since 1955.

University of Idaho, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology maintains a Resources web page with links to publications, budgets, and outlook information.

Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural Economics offers Jim Hilker's Market Outlook and Probabilistic Price Forecasts for Grain and Livestock, which provides commodity forecasts, price outlook articles, and links to related websites.

Iowa State University, Extension Economics publishes the online Iowa Farm Outlook and News, a bimonthly outlook report on livestock and grain, and information specific to beef cattle at the department's Iowa Beef Center.

Kansas State University, Department of Agricultural Economics provides AgManager, which focuses on market information, applied research specific to the livestock industry, updated prices, and nearby basis charts. Click on Market Updates for weekly and monthly newsletters.

Oklahoma State University, Department of Agricultural Economics offers information on the Oklahoma Livestock Market, which includes livestock market comments, the Fed Cattle Market Simulator, and other livestock information.

North Dakota State University, Extension Service maintains a web page on Livestock Economics, which includes the Market Advisor, budgets, and other economic information related to livestock.

University of Missouri, Extension Service provides several reports--including Hog Outlook (weekly), Cattle Outlook (weekly), and Swine Economics Report--on its Agricultural Electronic Bulletin Board.

University of Tennessee, Department of Agricultural Economics publishes Emmit Rawls' Weekly Livestock Comments and Tennessee Market Highlights.

Virginia Tech University, Cooperative Extension publishes the Weekly Roberts Agricultural Commodity Market Report.

Farmdoc, which is jointly operated by the University of Illinois and Purdue University, offers the Livestock Price Outlook Newsletter six times a year.

Last updated: Monday, May 28, 2012

For more information contact: Kenneth Mathews