On Wednesday, August 4, lean hog futures rose by 10 cents for the nearby August contract, while other contracts declined by 65 to 82 cents. The USDA reported the national base hog price at $113.77, an increase of 25 cents from the previous day. The CME Lean Hog Index dropped by 43 cents, settling at $109.56.
According to the USDA’s AM report, the FOB plant pork cutout decreased by $2.90 to $115.22 per cwt, with only the butt and rib primals reporting higher prices. Estimated hog slaughter for Wednesday was 479,000 head, bringing the week’s total to 1.386 million head—6,000 head above last week and an increase of 18,409 head compared to the same week last year.
