Lean hog futures closed Thursday with losses ranging from 50 to 97 cents. The USDA reported a national base hog price at $108.00, down $2.51 from the previous day. The CME Lean Hog Index was noted at $111.41 as of June 24, an increase of 97 cents.
The USDA’s quarterly Hogs & Pigs report listed a 0.33% rise in all hog inventories as of early June, totaling 75.137 million head, contrary to analyst predictions of a 0.4% decrease. While market hogs increased 0.4%, breeding hogs fell by 0.48%. The pig crop for March to May saw a 1.27% year-over-year rise, reaching 34.171 million head.
In export news, USDA’s report indicated 51,432 MT of pork sold for 2025 during the week ending June 19, with 30,600 MT going to Mexico and 5,600 MT to South Korea. Shipments for the calendar year peaked at 39,893 MT. Additionally, Thursday’s FOB plant pork cutout value dipped $2.16 to $119.65, while Thursday’s federally inspected hog slaughter was estimated at 473,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 1.887 million head, down 2,000 from last week.
