Margins Increase for Pork Packers
Farrow-to-finish pork producers earned $63 profit per hog last week, a $2 per head increase from the previous week. A month ago farrow-to-finish pork producers showed a profit of $33 per head.
Pork packers saw their margins increase $6 per head to $24. Negotiated prices for lean hogs were $88.95 per cwt last week. Cash prices for fed cattle are $4 per cwt. lower than last year and prices for lean hogs are about $7 per cwt. higher.
For farrow-to-finish pork producers, Nalivka projects 2017 profit margins to average $19 per head, compared to $5 per head last year. Pork packers are projected to earn $22 per head in 2017, down slightly from $24 profit per head in 2016.