Meat market read, Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Pork carcass off 1.46¢/lb today against beef's softer but more contained 0.49¢/lb decline, and the divergence runs deeper than the headline numbers. Heavy pork loads are moving freely while beef flows ran thin, a setup where packers on the hog side are clearing inventory rather than holding for a better price. That floor may be forming, but it hasn't held yet. Meanwhile the beef trim complex is still running hot: 73s added 30¢/lb yesterday and chemical lean 50% is up 15¢/lb on the month with another 14¢/lb pointing forward seasonally, so anyone sourcing grind across both proteins has a genuine substitution question in front of them right now. Short loin at 877¢/lb, down 108¢/lb yesterday and another 85¢/lb on the week, is the starkest contrast: middles are losing ground on thin beef loads with no apparent bid catching the slide, while the tenderloin at 1468¢/lb has shed 77¢/lb on the week despite a seasonal forward that historically adds 36¢/lb from here into the back half of May.

meatread.com