THE PROTEIN PULSE

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 20th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Taco Meat Tuesday for October 20th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Here's what caught my attention Monday. Cattle cost more, processors ran more head, and Choice beef still lost ground. Select went the other direction. That's a difficult combination to manage. Packers have more product to sell, but higher cattle costs don't disappear because a customer refuses an offer. Pork is pr...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 20th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Taco Meat Tuesday, October 20th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Here's what caught my attention Monday. Cattle cost more, processors ran more head, and Choice beef still lost ground. Select went the other direction. That's a difficult combination to manage. Packers have more product to sell, but higher cattle costs don't disappear because a customer refuses an offer. Pork is presenting a similar challenge. Bellies and hams weakened even with fewer hogs processed last week. In chicken, breasts an...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Monday Market Open | October 19th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Monday Market Open, October 19th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: It's always easier to paddle with the current than fight your way upstream. But take a look at these markets. We're not dealing with a lazy Sunday float down the river. We're in the middle of some raging rapids, and half the time you can't tell which direction the damn water is running. Everybody's got an opinion about where we're headed. The river doesn't care how smart you th...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Monday Market Open | October 19th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Monday Market Open for October 19th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: It's always easier to paddle with the current than fight your way upstream. But take a look at these markets. We're not dealing with a lazy Sunday float down the river. We're in the middle of some raging rapids, and half the time you can't tell which direction the damn wa...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Closing Bell Friday | October 16th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Closing Bell Friday, October 16th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Friday is when the market starts collecting on Monday's promises. Everybody arrives with an opinion. The cattleman knows what his animals are worth. The packer knows what they cost. The salesman knows what he needs for the beef, and the customer knows what he's willing to pay. Two people can look at the same load of meat and see two entirely different markets. By Friday, I don't care wh...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Closing Bell Friday | October 16th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Closing Bell Friday for October 16th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Friday is when the market starts collecting on Monday's promises. Everybody arrives with an opinion. The cattleman knows what his animals are worth. The packer knows what they cost. The salesman knows what he needs for the beef, and the customer knows what he's willing to pay. Every one of th...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Thursday Margin Monitor | October 15th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Thursday Margin Monitor for October 15th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: You can be right about the market and dead wrong about the purchase. Wednesday offered plenty of evidence. Cattle futures fell while wholesale beef rose. Hog futures weakened, but bellies took a beating as hams gained. Chicken production is growing, yet buyers aren't seeing the same conditions across every part. No...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Thursday Margin Monitor | October 15th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Thursday Margin Monitor, October 15th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: You can be right about the market and dead wrong about the purchase. Cattle futures fell while wholesale beef rose. Hog futures weakened, but bellies took a beating as hams gained. Chicken production is growing, yet buyers aren't seeing the same conditions across every part. Fewer pounds don't guarantee stronger prices when demand is pushing back. Being right about the market doesn't mean a damn thing if you're wr...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Wednesday Watchlist | October 14th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Wednesday Watchlist for October 14th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: USDA says we're going to have more corn. That's good news. Now somebody needs to get it out of the field. Iowa has harvested just fourteen percent of its corn crop against a five-year average of thirty-four percent. Soybean meal futures are easing, but diesel futures just jumped more than twenty-one cents a...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Wednesday Watchlist | October 14th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Wednesday Watchlist, October 14th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: USDA says we're going to have more corn. That's good news. Now somebody needs to get it out of the field. Iowa has harvested just fourteen percent of its corn crop against a five-year average of thirty-four percent. Diesel futures just jumped more than twenty-one cents a gallon. Anybody celebrating cheaper feed without checking basis and freight is only doing half the math. I've never seen a truck or tractor ru...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 13th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Taco Meat Tuesday, October 13th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: The next move in protein may not come from Chicago or the Southern Plains. It may come from overseas. Brazil is looking for new beef customers as China limits imports and Europe closes its doors. China is buying less foreign pork, and Spain is redirecting product following disease-related trade restrictions. That's a lot of meat looking for a home. I'm not suggesting we'll suddenly see cheaper beef or po...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 13th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Taco Meat Tuesday for October 13th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: The next move in protein may not come from Chicago or the Southern Plains. It may come from overseas. Brazil is looking for new beef customers as China limits imports and Europe closes its doors. China is buying less foreign pork, and Spain is redirecting product following disease-related trade restrictions. Th...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

Monday Market Open | October 12th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is Monday Market Open for October 12th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: John Tyson got a laugh this week when asked why he couldn't bankroll Arkansas football like Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech oilman and major Red Raiders booster. "He's got oil, and I've got chickens." As a die-hard Oklahoma State Cowboy, that one hit home. We had our own oilman in T...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Monday Market Open | October 12th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Monday Market Open, October 12th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: John Tyson got a laugh this week when asked why he couldn't bankroll Arkansas football like Cody Campbell. "He's got oil, and I've got chickens." As a die-hard Oklahoma State Cowboy, that one hit home. We had our own oilman in T. Boone Pickens. Money can build a program. Commitment builds a legacy. The protein industry understands that. Capital opens doors, but margins, discipline, and execution determine who st...

THE PROTEIN PULSE

WASDE Special Report | October 9th, 2026

Full Executive Briefing — Spoken Script

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast, your daily market update on all things protein. This is a special report for October 9th, 2026. More feed. Less red meat. A different margin equation for 2027. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: USDA just added 282 million bushels to projected corn ending stocks while cutting beef and pork production forecasts for both 2026 and 2027. That's the disconnect worth paying attention to. Corn yield jumped to 181.2 bushels per acre, surprising the trade and pressuring futures. So...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

WASDE Special Report | October 9th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. A Wasdy special for October 9th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: USDA just added 282 million bushels to projected corn ending stocks while cutting beef and pork production forecasts for both 2026 and 2027. That's the disconnect. Corn yield jumped to 181.2 bushels an acre. Meal stays at $340 a ton. Cattle supplies remain constrained, pork expectations are slipping, and chicken continues adding pounds. The benefit of cheaper corn won't move through the complex at the same speed. Poultry can respond relatively quickly. Ca...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Closing Bell Friday | October 9th, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Closing Bell Friday for October 9th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: We spend a lot of time talking about cattle numbers, plant capacity, and margins. Those numbers matter. But none of it works without the people showing up every day to keep these plants running. Recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas disrupted staffing and cattle movements in an already strained beef supply chain. Immigration policy deserves serious di...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Closing Bell Friday | October 9th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Closing Bell Friday, October 9th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: We spend a lot of time talking about cattle numbers, plant capacity, and margins. Those numbers matter. But none of it works without the people showing up every day to keep these plants running. Recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas disrupted staffing and cattle movements in an already strained beef supply chain. We can debate immigration policy all day, but we still have to keep the plants running. Yo...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Thursday Margin Monitor | October 8th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Thursday Margin Monitor, October 8th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: I think most of us know somebody dealing with alpha-gal syndrome. One tick bite, and suddenly they can't enjoy a steak, hamburger or bacon. So when I read about people receiving acupuncture treatments in their ears and reportedly eating red meat again, it caught my attention. Am I skeptical? Absolutely. I'm not convinced acupuncture is a cure, but I sure hope there's something to it. The science still ha...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Thursday Margin Monitor | October 8th, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Thursday Margin Monitor for October 8th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: I think most of us know somebody dealing with alpha-gal syndrome. One tick bite, and suddenly they can't enjoy a steak, hamburger or bacon. So when I read about people receiving acupuncture treatments in their ears and reportedly eating red meat again, it caught my attention. Am I skeptical? Absolutely. I'm not convinced acupuncture is a cu...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Wednesday Watchlist | October 7th, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Wednesday Watchlist for October 7th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: When the three hundred thousand metric ton beef import plan was announced, cattle country reacted fast. Major producer groups warned that additional imports could pressure cattle prices, discourage herd rebuilding and bring a wave of cheaper foreign beef into the U.S. market. A month in, that wave has not shown up. Only thirty-seven thousand four hundred eighty-six me...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Wednesday Watchlist | October 7th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Wednesday Watchlist, October 7th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: When the three hundred thousand metric ton beef import plan was announced, cattle country reacted fast. A month in, that wave has not shown up. Only thirty-seven thousand four hundred eighty-six metric tons of September's one hundred thousand ton allocation was used. Estimates suggest only about eight thousand to twenty-two thousand metric tons may actually have been beef that would not otherwise have entered the U.S. Imports still matter. Bu...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 6th, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Taco Meat Tuesday for October 6th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Ohhhhh yeahhh! Macho Man Randy Savage was selling Slim Jims before we started putting protein on just about everything. Today, meat sticks are competing for that same protein dollar with shakes, bars, yogurt and foods that have protein added to them. We already sell the real thing. But that alone doesn't mean we get the sale. FA...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Taco Meat Tuesday | October 6th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Taco Meat Tuesday, October 6th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Ohhhhh yeahhh! Macho Man Randy Savage was selling Slim Jims before we started putting protein on just about everything. Today meat sticks are competing for that same protein dollar with shakes, bars, yogurt and foods that have protein added to them. We already sell the real thing. That alone doesn't mean we get the sale. FATTY is growing while Slim Jim is working to regain momentum. The appetite fo...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Monday Market Open | October 5th, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Monday Market Open for October 5th, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. organic beef sales grew forty-four point three percent in twenty twenty-five to more than one point four billion dollars. Read that headline and the obvious question is: why don't we produce more of it here?

Because organic beef starts with the land. New organic pasture and cr...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Monday Market Open | October 5th, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Monday Market Open, October 5th. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Organic beef sales grew forty-four point three percent last year to more than one point four billion dollars. The obvious question is: why don't we produce more of it here?

Because organic beef starts with the land. New organic acres generally need thirty-six months without prohibited inputs, and the whole system has to stay compliant. The bigger hurdle is economics. Ranchers can sell conventional cattle today at...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Closing Bell Friday | October 2, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Closing Bell Friday, October 2nd. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: High prices cure high prices. We've all heard it. But is high beef finally starting to cure high beef — or is it more than that?

Cattle are still tight. Slaughter is down seven point seven percent year to date. Nothing this week changed the long-term supply story. The question is demand. USDA expects beef prices up nine point four percent this year, against one point two for pork...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Closing Bell Friday | October 2, 2026

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Closing Bell Friday for October 2, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: High prices cure high prices. We've all heard it. But is high beef finally starting to cure high beef — or is it more than that? Cattle are still tight. Slaughter is down seven point seven percent year to date, and nothing this week changed the long-term cattle supply story. But I wonder if we're spending so much time coun...

Drive Time

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Thursday Margin Monitor, October first. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: My late Ag Econ instructor at Oklahoma State, Dr. Bob Ortman — God rest his soul — drilled one word into us: scarcity. That’s the cattle market. Slaughter is down nearly eight percent. The herd hasn’t rebuilt. Scarcity is real. But it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. At some price, buyers adapt. Imports substitute for domestic lean. Chicken substitutes for beef. Pork competes for the plate. Grinders reformulate. Fresh nineties are four oh nine. Imported nineties are roughly a...

Full

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Thursday Margin Monitor for October 1, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: I never forgot something my Ag Econ 1114 instructor, the late Dr. Bob Ortman — God rest his soul — drilled into us at Oklahoma State. What is fundamental in economics? Scarcity. That’s exactly what has driven the cattle market. We don’t have enough cattle. Slaughter is down nearly 8 percent. The herd hasn’t rebuilt. Scarcity is real. But scarcity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. At some price, buyers...

Drive Time

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Wednesday Watchlist, September thirtieth. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Tomorrow another one hundred thousand metric tons of lower-duty imported lean opens to the U.S. market. If you’re buying raw material for ground beef, pay attention. Imported lean isn’t a pound-for-pound replacement for fresh domestic nineties. Some processors can’t or won’t use it because of customer specs or perception. Others can, but only to a certain percentage before binding and blending become an issue. That’s not a knock on the product. I’ve been inside...

Protein Pulse - Wednesday Watchlist | September 30, 2026

Your Daily Market Update on All Things Protein

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Wednesday Watchlist for September 30, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Tomorrow another one hundred thousand metric tons of lower-duty imported lean opens to the U.S. market. If you’re buying raw material for ground beef, pay attention. Imported lean isn’t a pound-for-pound replacement for fresh domestic nineties. Some processors can’t or won’t use it because of customer specifications or perception...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Taco Meat Tuesday | September 29, 2026

Your daily market update on all things protein

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Taco Meat Tuesday for September 29, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: The number that caught my attention wasn’t four hundred eighty-four thousand. It was four eleven eighty-eight. Cattle slaughter fell to four hundred eighty-four thousand head last week, and fresh nineties still moved lower. That tells me this isn’t just a supply story. We watched fifties start breaki...

Protein Pulse Drive Time — Taco Meat Tuesday | September 29, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Taco Meat Tuesday, September twenty-ninth. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: The number that caught my attention wasn’t four hundred eighty-four thousand. It was four eleven. Cattle slaughter fell last week, and fresh nineties still moved lower. USDA is calling lean boneless sharply lower on light demand — even after one of the smallest cattle kills we’ve seen this year. Tight supply only matters to price when somebody needs the pounds.

HOST: Last week’s cattle slaughter four hundred eighty-four thousand...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Monday Market Open | September 28, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Monday Market Open, September twenty-eighth. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Here is the irony in beef this morning. We are finally reopening another valve for cattle supply just as a new operational risk is showing up at the packing plant. Santa Teresa is open again. Four hundred eight head on day one is not enough to change the market. Stepped-up federal immigration enforcement is disrupting labor and cattle movement across parts of the Southern Plains. Two days do not ma...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Monday Market Open | September 28, 2026

Your daily market update on all things protein

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Monday Market Open for September 28, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Here is the irony in beef this morning: we are finally reopening another valve for cattle supply just as a new operational risk is showing up at the packing plant. Santa Teresa is open again. That should eventually help feeder availability, but four hundred eight head on day on...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME

Closing Bell Friday | September 25, 2026

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Closing Bell Friday, September twenty-fifth. From The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Kansas and the Hogs and Pigs report tell two different stories. National Beef adjusted shifts in Liberal. Cattle shipments have been delayed. That can become a problem for next week’s production schedule, regardless of where the cutout closed. USDA reported a smaller pig crop despite record productivity. Those missing pigs won’t be there when they would ordinarily reach market. A softer market doesn’t guarantee a full truck.<...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Closing Bell Friday | September 25, 2026

Your daily market update on all things protein

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is Closing Bell Friday for September 25, 2026, from The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Kansas and the Hogs and Pigs report tell two different stories, but both matter if you’re buying protein for the fourth quarter. National Beef adjusted shifts in Liberal, cattle shipments have been delayed, and buyers are dealing with uncertainty over beef deliveries. That can become a problem for...

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME Special Report | USDA Quarterly Hogs and Pigs | September 25, 2026

Fewer hogs. Record productivity.

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Special Report, September twenty-fifth. From The Sparks Group. USDA Hogs and Pigs.

SHAWN: I’ve spent plenty of time talking about cattle numbers and how heavier carcasses have helped make up for fewer animals. Yesterday’s report reminded me that pork is a different animal, literally. The hog herd is down two percent. Producers saved a record eleven point nine six pigs per litter. Farrowings are declining faster than those gains can ma...

THE PROTEIN PULSE PODCAST

Special Report | September 25, 2026

Fewer hogs. Record productivity.

USDA Quarterly Hogs and Pigs — September 2026

Your daily market update on all things protein

HOST: Welcome to The Protein Pulse Podcast — your daily market update on all things protein. This is a Special Report for September 25, 2026, from The Sparks Group. USDA’s quarterly Hogs and Pigs report: fewer hogs, record productivity.

SHAWN: I’ve spent plenty of time talking about cattle numbers and how heavier carcasses have helped make up for fewer animals. Yesterday’s Hogs and Pigs r...