ANALYSIS: Chicken Hatchery Trends Signal Supply-Side Expansion Amid Market Volatility

Although prevailing Q2 marketing conditions remain broadly bullish across much of the chicken complex, the environment is far from sedate as market participants navigate a constantly evolving set of challenges. Widespread disease concerns, shifts in average live weights, and ongoing global trade tensions continue to cloud visibility for speculative buyers and sellers alike. Amid this uncertainty, industry stakeholders are focusing on one of the more predictable components of the supply chain: Hatchery performance.

The most recent weekly hatchery figures reflect a familiar year-over-year... 

ANALYSIS: Korea’s Q1 2025 Beef Imports Grow 2.7% Y-o-Y to 142,015 mt

Korea’s beef imports in the first quarter of 2025 totaled 142,015 metric tons (mt), rising a modest 2.7% year-on-year (YoY), according to the latest data from Korea Customs Service.

The 3,792 mt increase was driven by higher in-bound shipments from Australia and Canada, while volumes from the United States (US) and New Zealand declined. Australian exports climbed early in 2025 as importers front-loaded in-quota volumes on the back of of an early trigger of the 2024 safeguard threshold...

Cal-Maine Foods Announces Pricing of Secondary Offering of Common Stock 

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 2,978,740 shares of its common stock by the four daughters of the Company’s late founder, Fred R. Adams, Jr., Dinnette Adams Baker, Luanne Adams, Nancy Adams Briggs and Laurel Adams Krodel, and Adolphus B. Baker, Board Chair, at a public offering price of $92.75 per share. Subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, the offering is expected to close on April 17, 2025.

In anticipation of the Offering, all outstanding shares...

Walmart Opens New Distribution Center in Florida

Walmart cut the ribbon on its newest distribution center. The facility is located at 1511 Zoo Parkway in Jacksonville, Florida. It will receive and process items for delivery to 18 Sam's Club locations across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and 7 other clubs in Puerto Rico. It was will also store and sort imported goods for delivery to four distribution centers across the Southeast.

“Jacksonville is continuing to build its reputation as a logistics hub and the place to be to reach customers throughout the Southeast...

ANALYSIS: Trade Tensions Reshape Pork Feet Market Dynamics

The current tariff structure between the US and China continues to weigh heavily on US pork exports—particularly variety meats like front and hind feet, which have traditionally found supportive demand from China due to active interest and limited US domestic buying. However, retaliatory measures have made access more restrictive. As of April 2025, China maintains retaliatory tariffs on US pork totaling around 84%, following US tariff increases on Chinese goods to 145%. These duties sharply reduce US pork’s competitiveness in the Chinese market...

ANALYSIS: US Pork Exports Face Global Headwinds According to Latest USDA Report 

Total US pork exports in February were down 2% from January and 4.8% year-over-year (YoY), totaling 565.2 million pounds. While strong demand in Mexico and Central America persisted, this was countered by weaker volumes to Japan and South Korea. Exports to China, while 17.4% higher than February 2024, were down 10.9% from January 2025.  This decline is partly attributed to seasonal factors, ongoing political challenges, and uncertainty surrounding plant eligibility for export, which hadn't been resolved until mid-March...

ANALYSIS: Mexico Feeder Cattle Exports Show Recovery by March 2025

Mexico’s feeder cattle exports to the United States faced a significant disruption after the New World screwworm was detected in November 2024, prompting a trade suspension. Exports resumed in February 2025 through limited ports under strict inspection protocols, starting with San Jeronimo, Chihuahua, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, via the Santa Teresa and Douglas ports of entry. By March 2025, Nogales became the fourth operational port, while other ports are still awaiting authorization to install inspection pens. 

As of March 31, 2025, exports reached 75,157 head...

Campbell’s Announces Key Leadership Changes to Drive Growth in Snack Division

The Campbell’s Company has announced the resignation of Chris Foley, a longtime company veteran and President of the Snacks division.

Effective May 12, 2025, Foley will be succeeded by Elizabeth Duggan, who will lead the continued growth and margin expansion of Campbell’s Snacks business.

Duggan joined Campbell’s in 2019 as Senior Vice President of the Transformation Office. In 2022, she was appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of Campbell’s Canadian business, where she delivered strong revenue and earnings growth... 

Kroger Appoints Key Retail Leaders

Kroger appointed Joe Kelley, president of the Colorado-based King Soopers & City Markets division, to be senior vice president of Retail Divisions. Kelley is an industry veteran of nearly 40 years. He has held a number of executive leadership roles across a variety of retailers, including Price Chopper, Stop and Shop, Star Market, and Shaws Supermarkets. Kelley joined the Kroger enterprise in 2019.

"Joe is a customer-centric leader who brings broad industry experience, with a strong track record of making stores great places to shop," said Ron Sargent, Chairman and...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

US President Donald Trump and his administration have paused reciprocal tariffs on most countries.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown... I am hereby raising the [tariff] charged to China by the [USA] to 125%, effective immediately,” wrote Trump on Truth Social at 1:18 pm ET. 

It’s not clear if this 125% is in addition to the 20% imposed on Chinese imports to the US. In early March, Trump noted that he would add another 10% tariff on Chinese goods...

ANALYSIS: US 2025 Ribeye Prices Surge Into Easter

As Easter weekend approaches, boneless ribeye’s remain a central focus in the boxed beef market. Strong seasonal interest has pushed prices significantly higher, from late February lows of $9.41/lb to $13.10/lb in early April, roughly a 39% increase.

Ribeye’s are traditionally featured as a holiday centerpiece by both retail and foodservice sectors, fueling a surge in buying activity leading up to Easter. This seasonal demand, combined with tightening supplies, has been a key driver behind the recent price rally...

ANALYSIS: February Turkey Exports Reveal Shifts in Key Markets

In a continuation of the trend established in August 2024, total export volumes for the U.S. were down year-over-year (YoY) in February. However, not all individual countries followed this trajectory, as two of the top five, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, actually imported greater amounts than they had last year. Meanwhile, the exports to Mexico, Guatemala, and Canada were down in keeping with the total values.

While month-over-month (MoM) values also declined, the decrease from January to February was less...

HPAI H5N1 Virus in Dairy Cattle – What We Know

In March 2024, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1), commonly referred to as bird flu, was confirmed in domestic U.S. livestock for the first time in a dairy operation in Texas. Since then, the virus has spread to 1,021 dairy operations across 17 states, raising widespread uncertainty throughout the dairy and livestock markets. Industry participants have raised concerns about the outbreak's potential impact on consumer perception and demand for dairy and meat products, though government agencies reiterate that the national food supply remains safe. Expana is closely monitoring the situation...

Expana’s WFA Opens Applications for 2025 Mentorship Programme to Support Women in Agrifood

Expana’s Women in Food and Agriculture (WFA) initiative has officially opened applications for its annual mentorship programme, designed to support and accelerate the careers of women across the agrifood sector.

Now in its fourth year, the program, supported by global animal nutrition and biotechnology company Alltech, connects women in the industry with experienced mentors of any gender. Since its launch in 2021, WFA has successfully matched more than 1,500 professionals, creating meaningful relationships that foster career growth and leadership development in...

The Retail Rundown: Protein Adds to Holiday Price Gains

Easter week has arrived and grocers are tapping into the holiday's spending momentum. But for consumers, Easter dinner is shaping up to be pricier than last year, with many holiday staples seeing year-over-year price increases.

According to Expana’s latest US Easter Index—which tracks price changes in key holiday-related commodities—overall prices rose 11.8% year-over-year, driven largely by higher costs in the protein and bakery categories.

Expana’s Easter Protein Index, which covers lamb, beef, pork, salmon, cod, and eggs...

Joel Yashinsky Appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Burger King US & Canada

Today, Burger King® announced Joel Yashinsky as Chief Marketing Officer for the US & Canada. Yashinsky will build on the brand’s existing Reclaim the Flame plan that was created with the advice and support of Burger King Franchisees.

“We are thrilled to welcome Joel to the Burger King leadership team and the broader BK family,” said Tom Curtis, President of Burger King US & Canada. “Joel joins us at an exciting time for the brand, and brings the ideal mix of strategic marketing...

ANALYSIS: Tariff Escalation Between US and China Fuels Ripple Effects in Brazil–China Beef Trade

The latest round of tariff sanctions has intensified uncertainties in the global beef market. The most recent update saw China announcing an equivalent 125% tariff on US goods in response to the latest tariff increase on Chinese imports, clarified by the White House to be a total of 145%. In the same announcement, President Trump set a 10% baseline tariff for a 90-day period to all countries not engaging in equivalent tariff actions.

While it remains unclear whether beef is...

ANALYSIS: China’s Q1 2025 Meat Imports Slip 2.0% to 1.64M mt on Soft Demand, Trade Rift

China imported a total of 1.64 million metric tons (mt) of meat, including variety meats, in the first quarter of 2025, down 2.0% year-on-year (y-o-y), according to preliminary figures from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC). The decline reflected deepening trade friction with the United States (US) and ongoing economic headwinds that continue to weigh on import demand.

Industry players also pointed to softer-than-expected consumer demand after the Lunar New Year festivities and increased.

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #4

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #4."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

Bunge to Sell North America Corn Milling Business

Bunge has reached an agreement to sell its North America dry corn and corn masa milling businesses to Grain Craft, a leading US independent flour miller.

The deal includes Bunge facilities in Danville, Illinois; Worthington, Indiana; Crete, Nebraska; Red Oak, Iowa; Muleshoe, Texas; Atchison, Kansas; and Queretaro, Mexico.

Bunge’s Co-President, Agribusiness, Julio Garros said: "We carefully considered how this regional business fits with our long-term plans and made the strategic decision to focus on other areas of our core business that are more strongly connected to our global value chains."

Red Robin Launches Bottomless Burger Pass to Drive Traffic

In recognition of National Burger Month, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is introducing a new consumer engagement initiative designed to boost traffic and brand visibility: the Bottomless Burger Pass.

Set to launch April 17 at 9 a.m. MT, the limited-time offering allows guests to purchase a pass online at RedRobin.com/National-Burger-Month, granting them access to one gourmet burger and bottomless side per day throughout May 1–31, for just $20.

A limited number of black-and-gold...