Weather Disruptions Prop Up Prices, But Demand Concerns Persist

Mar 06, 2023

Hog slaughter was lower last week as snowstorms disrupted the transportation of hogs to processing facilities. U.S. hog producers are still incentivized to pull hogs forward as current prices are below the cost of production.

Steiner and Company produces the Profit Maximizer report on behalf of National Pork Board based on information we believe is accurate and reliable. However neither NPB nor Steiner and Company warrants or guarantees the accuracy of or accepts any liability for the data, opinions or recommendations expressed.

Highlights

Hog slaughter was lower last week as snowstorms disrupted the transportation of hogs to processing facilities. U.S. hog producers are still incentivized to pull hogs forward as current prices are below the cost of production.
Pork belly inventory at the end of January was a little over 70 million pounds, 57% higher than a year ago. Ample freezer inventories should keep belly prices in check through March. Higher prices are expected in Q2.
Pork exports have been trending higher in recent weeks as world buyers take advantage of the attractive prices in the U.S. market. U.S. hog prices currently are trading at a discount to both the EU and Brazil (see page 30 of this report).
Two consecutive weeks of big sales to Mexico have helped bolster prices for bone-in hams. Boneless ham prices, however, are running below year-ago levels as higher prices at retail have curtailed some of the domestic demand.

Click here to see more...

Video: Reducing Nursery Feed Costs Without Losing Performance - Dr. Julian Arroyave

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Julian Arroyave, a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, discusses nursery feed budget strategies designed to reduce costs without compromising pig performance. He explains trials comparing high, medium, and low phase 1 and phase 2 feed budgets, including commercial validation data showing improved income over feed cost when lower-budget programs were applied under healthy herd conditions. Listen now on all major platforms!

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

"Results showed that the low-budget program increased income over feed cost by $1.48 per pig."

Meet the guest: Dr. Julian Arroyave / julian-arroyave-jaramillo-638740129 is a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, with experience in nursery nutrition, diet formulation, and commercial research trials. He completed his PhD at Kansas State University and previously worked as a nutrition supervisor at Kekén in Mexico. His work focuses on nutritional strategies that improve production efficiency while controlling feed costs. Learn more from Dr. Julian Arroyave Jaramillo on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.