USDA publishes meat market data on a layered schedule: daily reports that fire after the trade session, weekly reports that summarize cleared trade and inventory positions, monthly reports that capture inventory and slaughter at scale, and quarterly reports that survey breeding herds and pig crops. A working buyer learns the cadence because the cadence drives when the actionable information arrives.
Daily
The daily layer is dominated by the boxed beef and pork cutout pairs. The afternoon boxed beef cutout (LM_XB403) releases each business day around 3 PM Central time, with a morning companion (LM_XB402) at 11 AM Central. The afternoon edition is the version most participants quote because it carries the full session's negotiated trade. It includes the Choice and Select cutout values, primal and sub-primal pricing, trim items, and the negotiated load count.
The pork side mirrors the structure with a morning edition (LM_PK601) and afternoon edition (LM_PK602) covering the same trade flow for pork carcasses. AMS occasionally publishes Saturday editions when Friday trade clears late.
The daily layer also includes negotiated cattle prices (the LM_CT series and the five-area summaries), which release in real time as live cattle trade in the major regions and are useful for tracking the cattle complex versus the boxed product market. AMS publishes negotiated cattle reports through the day rather than at a fixed close.
Weekly
The weekly layer is where most planning-level information arrives. AMS publishes weekly summary reports for both boxed beef (the National Weekly Boxed Beef Cutout, LM_XB451, summarizing negotiated trade, alongside the broader National Comprehensive Boxed Beef Cutout LM_XB463 covering all fed steer and heifer sales) and pork. These weekly summaries smooth out daily noise and are often the most useful read for planning purposes. Imported beef trim flows are reported on NW_LS421. Retail feature activity for the week ahead lands every Friday at major chains, and is one of the more direct demand reads available.
The pork weekly report layer also includes the National Weekly Pork Cutout & Loin/Butt detail series, which lets a buyer step back from the daily noise and read the week's clearing prices. Some commodity-trading desks treat the weekly summaries as more important than the daily prints precisely because the smoothing is real, not arbitrary.
Monthly
The monthly layer carries the heavier-weight context reports. Cattle on Feed releases on the third Friday of each month at 3 PM Eastern, reporting fed cattle inventory, placements, and marketings. Cold Storage releases between the 22nd and 26th of each month at 3 PM Eastern and reports inventory across all proteins at month-end. Livestock Slaughter releases mid-month and reports federally inspected slaughter for the prior month with weight and class detail. WASDE (the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) releases between the 8th and 12th of each month at noon Eastern, with meat production and price forecasts in a broader supply-and-demand framework.
These monthly reports do not move the market in real time the way a daily print can, but they define the supply context for the next several weeks. A Cattle on Feed report showing materially different placements than the trade expected can shift the cattle and beef futures market in a single afternoon, and the boxed beef market follows.
Quarterly
Quarterly Hogs and Pigs (March, June, September, December) is the major quarterly pork report. It surveys breeding herd inventory, market hog inventory, sows farrowing intentions, and litter rates. It is the most important single forward read on hog supply for the next two to three quarters. Cattle (the semi-annual report, January and July) reports total U.S. cattle inventory by class and provides the broadest single read on where the cattle cycle sits.
Building a weekly rhythm
A working buyer typically organizes the cadence into a rhythm. Monday: read the previous Friday's weekly cutout, retail feature activity for the upcoming week, and any reports that landed over the weekend. Tuesday through Thursday: focus on daily prints, with attention to volume-weighted moves and primal direction. Friday afternoon: read the weekly cutout summary, cold storage if it lands, and prepare for the weekend. Around the third Friday of the month, the rhythm pauses for Cattle on Feed. The first quarter of each year (for the December Hogs and Pigs) and the first month of each quarter (for ongoing quarterlies) brings additional reads that demand context-shifting analysis rather than a quick scan.