Pig outlook: ??Lean hog futures hit 5.5 month high driven by technical bulls

Oct 21, 2024

December lean hog futures this week pushed to a 5.5-month high as the bulls remain in firm technical command. This comes despite the CME cash hog index posting a new seasonal low. The latest CME lean hog index is down 23 cents to $83.85 as of Oct. 15. Hog traders this the fall and early winter pig crop and pork production is not going to be as large as originally expected. That has led traders to tightening up December futures to the cash index, implying that the seasonal weakness this year will not be as severe as seen in the cash market the past two years.

Latest USDA and other news regarding the global pork industry

U.S. Labor Dept. probes underage worker claims at Tyson plants in Arkansas

The U.S. Department of Labor is conducting an ongoing investigation into claims of underage workers at two Tyson Foods plants in Arkansas. This comes after court documents unsealed in the Western District of Arkansas revealed accusations of child labor violations at Tyson processing facilities.

Specific allegations. A teacher at a school near the Rogers, Arkansas plant reported that a 14-year-old student discussed working at the Tyson facility for the summer. For the Green Forest, Arkansas plant, a mother overheard children between 11-13 years old discussing working night shifts from 11 PM to 7-8 AM. Investigators observed "multiple individuals whose appearance and body language indicated were potentially minor employees below the age of 16" at both locations.

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Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.