The largest U.S. meat producers struggled during the summer grilling season, and now twoclosely followedearnings reports this week are likely to help investors gauge whether the industry will be successful as it tries to pass higher costs along to consumers.

Americans are eating less meat, though booming international markets have provided alternative outlets. The coming results, from Tyson Foods Inc. and Hormel Foods Corp. , arrive as the meat industry tries to break a boom-and-bust cycle after persistent overproduction led to the bankruptcies of several competitors over the past five years.

Remaining meat companies, including industry leader Tyson, are intent on rebuilding balance sheets and navigating the highs and lows of seasonal demand, such as the Thanksgiving bonanza for turkey producers this week and the peak for chicken-wing suppliers during the March Madness college-basketball tournament.

Both Tyson and Hormel are expected to show some wear from this year's high costs for feed, especially corn, which climbed to a record of nearly $8 a bushel in June.

Tyson, the largest publicly traded U.S. meat processor by revenue, on Monday is to post its earnings for the company's fiscal fourth quarter ended in September. The company has said its chicken division, which accounts for 33% of Tyson's sales, will be unprofitable for the quarter. Costs for feed have remained at historic highs even as prices for chicken meat, especially breasts, have languished amid persistent oversupply.