With May long weekends quickly approaching, many are starting to have barbecuing on the brain, which of course – is good news for the beef market.
We definitely have enough supply for people to “chew” through…but the price on the shelves is certainly still high enough. So where is demand?
Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, says that demand is keeping up, especially as the warmer temperatures approach.
“Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, we’ve got lots of, and I think people will be looking to get those barbecues out and dusted off as we get into some better weather. So most are still thinking that we’re going to get some of that demand improvement in May and June. The concern more is in post that, as we get into the dog days of summer,” she explains.
The main concern for what can only be described as the scorching days of summer is tempered demand, especially if these high price points continue, says Wasko.
“I will counter with this comment, however. It’s not just beef, it’s up from a percentage perspective, you’ve got everything up, whether it’s chicken, all of the different pork, or everything up at the counter in terms of percentage change from a year ago,” explains Wasko. “So that’s given us a little bit of comfort — but it’s a concern as we get into the second half of this year, no doubt.”
Check out the full conversation between Anne Wasko and RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney, below:
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