Slow Out of the Gate, Pork Industry Needs to Keep Demand Up

A relatively sideways year ahead in pork production with a need to keep the demand up, Scott Brown, livestock economist, associate extension professor and interim director of the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center at the University of Missouri, forecasts for 2023 pig production. 

In a recent “AgriTalk” conversation, Brown says, “We've seen kind of a struggle here out of the gate in 2023, and you look at those longer-term futures contracts across there, and to me, that kind of spell that out for all of 2023.” 

In terms of growth, Brown believes there could be a slight growth this year—on the productivity side—yet a disease outbreak, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), could change the outlook a bit.

Pork Exports in 2023

This year, Brown says he’s “optimistic” about export demand for pork, yet knows there will not likely be a repeat of 2020 and 2021.