Animal Ag Markets: Trends and Drivers

By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (August 5, 2025)

Dairy, beef, pork, chicken – with so much focus on eating more protein, and a growing population to feed, the animal ag sector is a hot topic. According to Cargill’s 2025 Protein Profile, 61 percent of American consumers reported increasing their protein intake in 2024 – up from just 48 percent in 2019. Additional data from the International Food Information Council confirms this momentum: 71 percent of Americans were actively trying to consume more protein in 2024, compared to 67 percent in 2023, and 59 percent in 2022.

Offered as the holy grail for many things – weight loss, muscle mass increase, energy supplementation and much more – protein (and one must recognize the myriad choices popping up in nearly every food from candy to coffee to pancakes and even water!) is the new-found magic elixir.

But success in the sector is not without issue, and has been under fire lately, particularly affected by current administration policies – think changing tariffs on imports and exports. For example, the U.S. recently imposed tariffs on beef imports from several countries – Canada and Mexico, for example, two major sources of lean beef for the U.S., now face a 25 percent tariff. Brazil faces a 50 percent tariff on its beef exports to the U.S. Other proteins – pork and chicken – face their own growing, and ever-changing, tariffs.

But, according to MEAT+POULTRY editor Erica Shaffer, who will moderate the Animal Ag Markets: Trends and Drivers panel at the 14^th annual Women in Agribusiness Summit next month in Orlando, Florida, the U.S. meat and poultry processing industry is demonstrating resilience and adaptability in a dynamic and uncertain market environment, capitalizing on growth opportunities while addressing ongoing challenges.

“Poultry continues to lead sector momentum as consumers prioritize affordable, high-protein options, and a rebound in hog production positioned the industry for a strong start this year,” said Shaffer. “And while beef processors face the smallest U.S. cattle herd since 1951, strong demand for U.S. beef at home and abroad support the market.”

Shaffer explained that to drive efficiency, manage labor constraints, and support long-term capacity expansion, processors are making strategic investments in automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

Top stressors in the sector remain labor, automation/AI and regulation. Shaffer explained:

On labor:

• The meat processing industry relies heavily on immigrant labor. But the current administration has pledged to deport 1 million undocumented immigrants this year. In July, the American Association of Meat Processors called on its members to contact their representatives in Congress about “holding off on their ICE raids within the agriculture industry.”

• Since 2000, the U.S. workforce participation rate has dwindled down, and the trend may be accelerating, according to a quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange.

• The U.S. fertility rate has sharply fallen since the financial crisis of 2008, reducing the number of native-born citizens available to enter the workforce. This trend coincides with Boomer retirements.

On automation:

• CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange reports that AI and automation are helping the agriculture industry to boost profitability and efficiency, while enabling human workers to focus on customer service, product quality and other priorities.

On regulation:

• The Make America Healthy Again initiative is focused on heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. In the lead is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who believes the place to look for solutions to these problems lies in scrutiny of the U.S. food supply. So far, RFK has targeted “ultra-processed foods,” nutrition labeling and the definition of “healthy.”

These topics and more – key trends and drivers in pricing and demand in the animal ag protein sector as well as critical challenges facing these industries, such as bird flu, supply challenges, and consumer pressures – will be addressed by the WIA panelists, which include:

·      Angie Krieger, General Counsel, Pork Board 

·      Ellen Davis, Director of R&D Innovation, Fortiva 

·      Brian Earnest, Lead Analyst, Animal Protein, CoBank 

See the full agenda here and register to join us for the learning, networking and connection!