Gross packer margins hit all-time highs above $290 per head Wednesday. That’s according to HedgersEdge. Livestock Market Information Center Director Jim Robb says packer margins tend to be higher in the summer months. “We tend to see a large swing in packer margins for the first three months of the year then into the highest of the year. Then, they tend to erode in the fourth quarter. These are record large packer margins. 2015 was a record large year for packer margins. So was 2016 and 2017. Now, 2018 is on that track.” Robb says profitable packer margins should lead to more packer demand. A big unknown is if beef packers will invest the profits back into the industry.