On Thursday, lean hogs experienced losses ranging from 20 to 65 cents in front-month trading. The national average base hog price rose to $74.73, an increase of $1.38 from the previous day, while the CME Lean Hog Index was reported at $84.45 for October, up 31 cents.
The latest Export Sales report indicated 43,355 MT in pork bookings for the week of September 26, marking an 18-week high, with Mexico accounting for over half at 24,000 MT. However, export shipments saw a three-week low of 25,887 MT. Notable shipments included 10,900 MT to Mexico and 3,800 MT to Japan.
The USDA reported a FOB plant pork cutout value of $95.19 per cwt, up 17 cents from the previous day. For the week, hog slaughter totaled 1.457 million head, up 5,000 head from the preceding week and 1,889 head above the same period last year.
