full

full
Published on:

25th Sep 2026

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME | Closing Bell Friday | September 25, 2026

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.

HOST: Thursday cattle slaughter ninety thousand versus one hundred seven thousand the previous Thursday. Year-to-date down seven point seven percent. USDA does not establish how much of Thursday’s drop is immigration enforcement. Santa Teresa reopened Thursday. That helps feeder supply. It does not replace finished cattle this week.

SHAWN: Herd seventy-four point three million, down one point five. Breeding herd smallest September since twenty thirteen. Record eleven point nine six pigs per litter. Summer pig crop still smaller. Fresh nineties three ninety-nine. Imported nineties around three nineteen C I F East Coast. About eighty cents between references — not a confirmed delivered saving. Confirm next week’s beef loads. Check pork coverage against the weeks you actually need product. Stay disciplined.

HOST: Protein Pulse Drive Time. Shawn Sparks, The Sparks Group.

SHAWN: Stay disciplined.

All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Protein Pulse Podcast

About the Podcast

Protein Pulse Podcast
Your Daily Market Update on All Things Protein.
The Protein Pulse Podcast delivers concise, commercially focused protein market intelligence for buyers, sellers, traders, procurement leaders, processors, and executives across the beef, pork, chicken, feed, and global protein markets. Each episode translates USDA data, market pricing, slaughter trends, trade flows, imports, feed costs, policy developments, and supply-chain signals into clear, practical market context. The focus is simple: cut through the noise, explain what the numbers mean, and give protein professionals the market context they need before making their next decision. Your Daily Market Update on All Things Protein.

About your host

Profile picture for Shawn Sparks

Shawn Sparks

Shawn Sparks is the founder of The Protein Pulse and a protein procurement, sourcing, and trading executive with more than two decades of experience across beef, pork, chicken, and the broader food supply chain.

His career has included senior procurement and purchasing leadership roles at some of the largest food companies in the industry, with responsibility for billions of dollars in annual protein spend and complex domestic and global sourcing programs.

Today, Shawn leads The Sparks Group, Inc. and Great Plains Protein LLC, where he works across protein sourcing, trading, procurement strategy, supplier development, and market intelligence.

Through The Protein Pulse Podcast, Shawn brings a practical, commercial perspective to the protein markets — translating USDA data, pricing, slaughter trends, imports, exports, feed costs, policy, and supply-chain developments into clear context for buyers, sellers, traders, processors, and industry leaders.

His focus is simple: cut through the noise, explain what the numbers mean, and help protein professionals understand what matters next.

The Protein Pulse — Your Daily Market Update on All Things Protein.