# U.S. Meat Consumption Increases Despite Rising Prices | News Release | American Farm Bureau Federation

> AFBF economists' Market Intel report says US meat demand remains strong, with 2025 meat sales reaching $112 billion. USDA reports April's average beef retail price set a record at $9.64 per pound, and pork prices rose 2.3% year over year. Beef prices remain elevated due to the smallest US herd in 75 years.

- Date: 2026-05-19 · published 2026-05-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: market · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/19424-u-s-meat-consumption-increases-despite-rising-prices-news-release-american-farm
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Record beef retail prices reflect a sharply reduced cattle herd, which supports live cattle prices and keeps demand shifting toward pork and chicken.

## Read by commodity

- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Sources

- fb.org: https://www.fb.org/news-release/u-s-meat-consumption-increases-despite-rising-prices

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.