Farrow-to-finish margins averaged $55.35/head last week and unchanged from the prior week with W. Cornbelt Lean Carcass Value averaging $91.84/cwt. and down only slightly from the prior week. This situation with positive farrow-to-finish margins is likely to continue with the March 1 Hogs and Pigs Report showing hog numbers unchanged from a year earlier as producers with long memories exercise caution.
Packers saw the Pork Cutout weaken to $96.98/cwt. from $99.28 the prior week which in turn led to only a breakeven margin compared to $3.20/head the previous week.
View the full Sterling Pork Profit Tracker for the week ending March 28.
The Beef and Pork Profit Trackers are calculated by Sterling Marketing, Vale, Ore.
(Note: The Sterling Beef Profit Tracker calculates an average beef cutout value for the week in its estimates for feedyard and packer margins. Other prices in the weekly Profit Tracker also are calculated weekly averages. Feedyard margins are calculated on a cash basis only with no adjustment for risk management practices. The Beef and Pork Profit Trackers are intended only as a benchmark for the average cash costs of feeding cattle and hogs. Sterling Marketing is a private, independent beef and pork consulting firm not associated with any packing company or livestock feeding enterprise.)
