The amount of pork in cold storage at the end of March was at an all-time high for that date, reported the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in its monthly cold storage report.
On March 31, frozen pork stocks penciled in at 668.6 million pounds. Although the March stocks showed a year-over-year increase, the level was slightly lower than last month. The large amount of pork in freezers indicates packers and end users were stocking up on certain pork products as the result of cheaper prices.
In comparison, beef stocks ended March down 2.4% from February levels at 438.8 million pounds. Chicken stocks were reported at 751.9 million pounds, up 27.1% from a year ago. Similarly, turkey stocks in March were up 8.2% from the previous month and 3.3% above last year. Lack of exports, as a result of shipping restrictions, has boosted poultry in cold storage.
