Smaller U.S. swine herd likely as Prop 12 takes effect, think tank says 

Canadian pork sector concerned the animal welfare law will act as a non-tariff trade barrier 

The cost of compliance with a California animal welfare law, which takes full effect on New Year’s Day, will likely shrink the U.S. national hog herd and lead to further consolidation, a Washington State think tank says. “No one will be spared the change in market pressures,” wrote Pam Lewison, director for the Washington Policy […] Read more

Photo: ARS/USDA

Hog market recovering from pandemic lows

China again a major driver of hog values

MarketsFarm — In April 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for lean hog futures dropped to their lowest point since 2002, falling below US$40 per hundredweight. Nearly a year later, the industry is in the middle of a speedy recovery. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Thursday, lean hog futures […] Read more


(Shadowinternet/E+/Getty Images)

Strong foreign demand boosts North American hog markets

MarketsFarm — While the volume of hogs at North American slaughter markets have kept packing plants near capacity in recent weeks, strong foreign export demand has kept pork values high. “We expect pork values to move higher, due to the shortness of production in China,” said Brad Marceniuk, a Saskatchewan provincial livestock economist in Saskatoon. […] Read more



CME lean hogs: October 2018 in black, December 2018 in pink. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slump on ample supplies

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell more than one per cent on Tuesday, weighed down by technical selling and expectations that supply will increase, traders said. Cattle futures were only slightly lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, staying within the narrow range that has defined the trade for weeks. CME December hogs, […] Read more

Sides of pork in cold storage. Tariffs on U.S. pork in China and Mexico have curtailed U.S. exports, resulting in price-depressing oversupply. (Agnormark/iStock/Getty Images)

Hog producers continue struggle toward profitability

CNS Canada — Hog prices might have regained some value in recent days, but many producers are still a long way from profitability, according to the chair of Manitoba Pork. That’s why lenders such as Farm Credit Canada, who show they understand the needs of producers who are dependent on commodity markets, are appreciated, said […] Read more

(Deyana Robova photo/iStock/Getty Images)

Canadian hog prices on rebound

CNS Canada — Improving trade relations and the emergence of swine fever in China have made their presence felt on the Canadian hog market. Weekly signature No. 5 base slaughter weight cash hog prices averaged $117.83 per 100 kg as of Friday, up by roughly $15 over the past two weeks. Those numbers are a […] Read more


Andrew Dickson. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Shannon VanRaes)

Trade uncertainty weighs on Manitoba pork prices

CNS Canada –– An ongoing trade battle between China and the U.S., along with general uncertainty in global trade, is starting to put a damper on Manitoba pork prices. In Canada, the formula price used by domestic farmers is based on the national base price in the U.S. That price is determined by a formula […] Read more