At the end of March, the quarterly Grain Stocks report looked like just what the doctor ordered for an ailing feeder cattle market. News of larger-than-anticipated corn stocks sent corn prices tumbling. This, in turn, stimulated a sharp rally in feeder cattle futures. The April Feeder Cattle contract surged from just over $138 right before the report to almost $146 in very short order.  

In an effort to simplify the names consumers see on meat packages at the retail market, the National Pork Board and Beef Checkoff Program gained approval from their standards committee to begin using new terminology for fresh beef and pork.

Approval by the Industry-wide Cooperative Meat Identification Standards Committee (ICMISC) for new Uniform Retail Meat Identification Standards (URMIS) was the culmination of extensive consumer research, which showed an opportunity for retailers to build consumer confidence in how to shop for and prepare beef and pork.