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Published on:

16th Sep 2026

THE PROTEIN PULSE — DRIVE TIME | Wednesday Watchlist | September 16, 2026

Wednesday Watchlist | September 16, 2026

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

SHAWN: Having protein is not the same as having demand. Consumers are still buying. They are being more selective. Convenience, flavor, value. If the product does not give them a reason, they move on. Somebody still has to want the product. That is where the margin fight starts.

HOST: More cattle on feed does not mean more cattle becoming available.

SHAWN: Inventories may print one point eight percent above last year. Almost three point six million head have been on feed more than one hundred fifty days — up eighteen point seven percent. That can make the report look comfortable without improving near-term availability. Year-to-date slaughter is still down seven point six percent. Choice closed three seventy-six. Futures sold off.

HOST: The quota is open. About fifteen thousand tons of the September tranche had cleared last week.

SHAWN: Three hundred thousand tons of access is not three hundred thousand tons arriving. South American nineties indicated around three oh eight to three fifteen East Coast. Domestic last established four thirty-five. Watch arrival, not the headline.

HOST: Pork cutout fell to eighty-seven fifty. Bellies dropped almost eleven cents. Chicken still has the pounds. Meal jumped almost ten dollars. Crude one oh five.

SHAWN: Pork has supply. It needs reasons to consume it. Chicken remains the value story. Wisconsin added an HPAI detection — watch it, don’t over-read it. The protein price gets the attention. The cost structure and the consumer decide the margin. Stay disciplined.

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

SHAWN: Stay disciplined.

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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

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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.