How to Read the USDA Cold Storage Report — Month-End Food Stocks, Public vs Private Warehouses and Coverage
USDA Cold Storage of October 23, 2026: September 30 butter stocks up 16% from a year earlier, natural cheese up 2%, frozen poultry down 5%, frozen pork up 9%; next report November 24.
Key figures (Cold Storage, October 2026)
As of 29 October 2026 (KST); most recently published report: Cold Storage, released October 23, 2026, by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with stocks as of September 30, 2026. The NASS reports-by-date calendar for October 2026 lists the October 23 Cold Storage release at 3:00 pm ET; the publication page lists the next releases on November 24 and December 23, 2026, at 3:00 PM without a time zone. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796120/cost1026.txt[1][2][3]
| Indicator (U.S., stocks in all warehouses, 1,000 pounds) | Previous (August 31, 2026) | Current (September 30, 2026) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (September 30, 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total natural cheese | 1,442,189 | 1,428,556 | published 99% of previous month | published 102% of 1,395,677 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Butter | 311,354 | 295,673 | published 95% | published 116% of 253,851 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Total frozen poultry | 1,145,837 | 1,128,168 | published 98% | published 95% of 1,186,649 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Total chicken | 751,354 | 766,752 | published 102% | published 95% of 807,446 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Total frozen vegetables | 1,867,657 | 2,184,682 | published 117% | published 103% of 2,113,887 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Total frozen red meat | 855,212 | 846,011 | published 99% | published 103% of 818,859 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
| Total frozen pork | 431,412 | 427,813 | published 99% | published 109% of 393,319 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables) |
Comparison basis: levels are as published in thousands of pounds; the percentages are the report's own "as a percent of" columns, rounded to whole numbers, and this page does not recompute them. The highlights text gives the same comparisons in words (for example "up 16 percent"), so a rounded percent in the table and the text describe the same published change. The release, publication page and calendar are all from USDA and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. The monthly NASS report counts food held in U.S. refrigerated warehouses at month end: cheese and butter, poultry, red meat, fruit, vegetables and more.
2. As published on October 23, 2026, September 30 butter stocks were 16% above a year earlier and total natural cheese 2% above, while frozen poultry was 5% below.
3. The next reports are listed for November 24 and December 23, 2026.[1][2]
What the report counts (in NASS's words)
"Total natural cheese stocks in refrigerated warehouses on September 30, 2026 were down 1 percent from the previous month but up 2 percent from September 30, 2025." "Butter stocks were down 5 percent from last month but up 16 percent from a year ago." "Total frozen vegetable stocks were up 17 percent from last month and up 3 percent from a year ago." "Frozen pork supplies were down 1 percent from the previous month but up 9 percent from last year."[1]
Which warehouses. "All survey data represent stocks as of the end of the month." "Excluded are stocks in space maintained by wholesalers, jobbers, distributors, chain stores, locker plants containing individual lockers, meat packer branch houses, and frozen food processors whose entire inventories are turned over more than once a month." "NASS does not differentiate between commodities owned by manufacturer, producer, wholesaler, retailer, government owned, or domestically produced vs. imported."[1]
Reading in pairs
All warehouses vs public warehouses. The national commodity tables give stocks in all warehouses and a separate public-warehouse column (the regional and record tables do not); for September 30, 2026, butter was 295,673 thousand pounds in all warehouses and 287,074 thousand in public warehouses, and total commodities 9,101,813 against 8,151,106. The definitions explain the difference: "Public refrigerated storages: Refrigerated facilities maintained for storing food for others at specified rates per unit." Private and semiprivate storages are run by producers, processors or manufacturers for their own products.[1]
Reporting firms vs estimates for the rest. "Reports are received from approximately 450 firms each month which represent about 65 percent of the total capacity." That 65 percent is a share of storage capacity, not of stocks. "Estimates for non-reporting firms are obtained by multiplying the previous month's figure by a percent change from the previous month." Stocks of non-reporting firms on the list are estimated this way, but "Firms that are not on the list or firms who have never reported are not represented in the data." "Monthly data can vary due to different firms reporting month to month." Unlike NASS's sample surveys, the report gives no root mean square error or other error measure.[1]
Preliminary vs final. "Data are revised the following month based on late reports or corrected data." "Final figures are published in the annual summary in February of the following year." The September figures may be revised the following month; final figures are published in the February 2027 annual summary.[1]
This September vs the records. The report's record tables show other natural cheese at 613,475 thousand pounds, the September record high (2026), and total whole turkeys at 195,802 thousand pounds, the September record low (2026). Frozen vegetables rose 17% from August, with cut corn going from 392,798 to 562,129 thousand pounds; the report does not explain these movements.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Butter stocks in U.S. refrigerated warehouses on September 30, 2026 were down 5 percent from the previous month but up 16 percent from a year earlier, at 295,673 thousand pounds.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Total natural cheese stocks were 1,428,556 thousand pounds on September 30, 2026, down 1 percent from August 31 and up 2 percent from September 30, 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Total frozen poultry supplies on September 30, 2026 were 1,128,168 thousand pounds, down 2 percent from the previous month and down 5 percent from a year earlier.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Frozen pork supplies were 427,813 thousand pounds on September 30, 2026, down 1 percent from the previous month and up 9 percent from a year earlier.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The USDA publication page lists the next Cold Storage releases on November 24 and December 23, 2026.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
On September 30, 2026, public warehouses held 287,074 of the 295,673 thousand pounds of butter in all warehouses, and 8,151,106 of the 9,101,813 thousand pounds of total commodities.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's reading of the U.S. butter and commodity tables
September 30, 2026 stocks set a September record high for other natural cheese (613,475 thousand pounds) and a September record low for total whole turkeys (195,802 thousand pounds).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's reading of the September record tables
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Why were butter stocks 16 percent above a year earlier?
- How much will the September 30 figures change in the November report?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/29/2026, 15:17
- Body characters
- 5,813
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/29/2026, 15:24
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 10/29/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/29/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Cold Storage text release of October 23, 2026, including all U.S. and regional tables, the September record tables, definitions, publication notes and methodology, plus the publication page and the NASS October 2026 release calendar; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 10/29/2026 | Revised after review: the public-warehouse column is described as part of the national commodity tables only; the coverage paragraph and FAQ say the 65 percent refers to storage capacity and that firms not on the list or that have never reported are not included; the coverage FAQ names public, private and semi-private warehouses; the revision sentence says the September figures may be revised the following month with final figures in the February 2027 annual summary; the October 2026 calendar is cited at its month-specific address. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How much butter was in U.S. cold storage on September 30, 2026?
295,673 thousand pounds in all warehouses, down 5% from August 31 and up 16% from a year earlier, according to the NASS report of October 23, 2026.[1]
How much natural cheese was in U.S. cold storage on September 30, 2026?
1,428,556 thousand pounds of total natural cheese, down 1% from August 31 and up 2% from September 30, 2025; other natural cheese set a September record high.[1]
Does the September 2026 U.S. Cold Storage report cover all food in storage?
No: the September 30, 2026 figures cover public, private and semi-private refrigerated warehouses but exclude space held by wholesalers, distributors, chain stores, locker plants and processors that turn over their whole inventory more than once a month.[1]
How complete are the U.S. Cold Storage figures for September 2026?
About 450 firms, representing about 65 percent of total storage capacity, report each month; NASS estimates stocks of non-reporting firms on its list from the previous month's figure and the change reported by firms that reported both months, but firms not on the list or that have never reported are not included.[1]
Will the September 30, 2026 U.S. cold storage figures be revised?
Yes: they are subject to revision the following month based on late reports or corrected data, and final figures appear in the annual summary in February 2027.[1]
Does the September 2026 U.S. Cold Storage report separate imported from domestic stocks?
No: for the September 30, 2026 stocks, NASS does not differentiate by owner or between domestically produced and imported commodities.[1]