**Lean Hog Futures and Pork Export Data Update**
On Thursday, lean hog futures rose between 20 to 77 cents, while the USDA reported a national base hog price of $90.35, an increase of 18 cents from the previous day. The CME Lean Hog Index fell by 4 cents on March 31, reaching $90.41. The market will be closed on Friday for Good Friday.
In the week ending March 26, USDA’s Export Sales report indicated a record high of 53,049 MT of pork sold, with Mexico purchasing 39,100 MT and Japan buying 3,300 MT. Shipments reached 39,758 MT, the highest in five weeks, with Mexico again as the top destination. Additionally, pork exports in February totaled 574.24 million lbs, marking the fourth-largest on record for the month but down 2.7% from January.
USDA’s Thursday PM pork carcass cutout value rose by $1.61 to $97.19 per cwt, while the estimated federally inspected hog slaughter was 493,000 head, totaling 1.965 million head for the week. This figure is 11,000 head less than last week but 52,761 head more than the same week last year.
