Lean hog futures experienced declines of 5 to 35 cents on Wednesday, with the USDA reporting a national base hog price of $70.19, down 19 cents from the previous day. Meanwhile, the CME Lean Hog Index fell to $82.25 as of December 29.
Managed money increased its net long position in lean hog futures and options by 10,489 contracts during the week ending December 23, bringing the total to 75,325 contracts. The USDA’s delayed Export Sales report indicated that 18,978 metric tons of pork were sold for 2025, alongside 25,998 metric tons for 2026, with total exports for the week at 34,850 metric tons.
In slaughter data, USDA estimated Wednesday’s federally inspected hog slaughter at 418,000 head, contributing to a weekly total of 1.36 million head. The pork carcass cutout value decreased by 39 cents to $93.74 per cwt, with only picnic and ham cuts reported higher.
