Pork packer margins were off $5.41/head last week to average $26.42/head as the W. Cornbelt lean carcass value for the week gained $3/cwt. against the Pork Cutout value, which averaged $92.68/cwt. compared to $92.10/cwt. the previous week.
The stronger lean carcass value gave a boost to farrow-to-finish margins, which averaged $19.20/head for the week, a $7/head boost from the previous week. A drop in grain and meal prices pushed the breakeven price for hogs placed last week to $64/cwt. This was the lowest breakeven since hogs placed on the finishing floor the week of March 13, 2021.
View the full Sterling Pork Profit Tracker for the week ending Jan. 17.
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.)
