Domestic beef prices are certainly a headache, but the U.S. beef supply chain is losing ground in global markets, as well. The culprits are a combination of supply-and-demand economics — and politics. And in the 21st century, other countries, like Brazil, that have nurtured their meat industries over time are stepping up to fill the void in a way they never did before.

Today on MeatingPod, we parse out the challenges that are present and the opportunities that are coming for the U.S. beef industry with Frank Fuhrig, enterprise editor with Meatingplace. His long-time coverage of agricultural and international affairs brings a rare perspective to the role of trade in this business.

Planning ahead properly for major capital investments faces many barriers, from day-to-day challenges that make it hard to focus on long-term horizons to the shiny new technologies rolled out at trade shows that promise labor savings and soaring profitability.

Proper long-term planning needs focused attention, air and space, and the right people in the room from the beginning, Judson Armentrout says. The founder and principal consultant with Building Block Solutions has guided many protein processors through years-long capital investment plans. Judson has worked on both sides of these projects, in production and in retail, and he knows how to take a project into the future, even when that future is unclear.

Armentrout provides us with his guidelines on this week’s episode of MeatingPod.

If chicken processors feel like the rope in a game of tug-of-war, they have good reason. Prices are historically high, but that may not last. Trade disputes are a big unknown for poultry exports. And colder weather in the Northern Hemisphere already is ushering in new outbreaks of HPAI across the globe.

Nan-Dirk Mulder is a senior global specialist for animal protein with RaboResearch in the Netherlands. He also is the author of its quarterly outlook for the poultry industry. Nan-Dirk doesn’t have a crystal ball into exactly what will happen in poultry in 2026, but he has some well-informed predictions, and he shares them in this episode of MeatingPod.