Last week there wasn’t much change in the pork complex regarding prices and margins with the W. Cornbelt Lean Carcass Value averaged $93.44/cwt. against $95.12/cwt. while the Pork Cutout averaged $96.53 for the week and nearly unchanged from the prior week’s average of $96.32.
Packer margins showed modest improvement but continued to post red ink with Sterling’s average margin for the week at -$3.44/head compared to -$7.60/head the previous week. The estimated farrow-to-finish breakeven was $65.41/cwt. for hogs marketed last week and $69.34/cwt. for hogs placed on the finishing floor.
View the full Sterling Pork Profit Tracker for the week ending May 16.
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.)
