Weaner pigs

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $60.38, Up $3.16 From Last Week

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:52:12 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on May 8 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in October 2026 using December 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $60.38, up $3.16 for the week. Feed costs were down $0.64 per head, and December futures increased $1.20 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $86.49.

Week ending May 8

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 102,966 head being reported which is 138% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $77.08, down $0.83 from a week ago. The low to high range was $64 to $89. Cash prices were 93.63% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $1.02 this week at $62.44.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 14,596 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $108.55, down $4.36 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

Graph 1 - Seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

Graph 2 - Seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through May 8, 2026.

Graph 3- Cash weaner price and cash feeder price

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $3.99 this week to a projected loss of $16.70 per head.

Graph 4 - Estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $57.22, Down $7.05 From Last Week

Mon, 04 May 2026 14:26:24 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on May 1 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in October 2026 using December 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $57.22, down $7.05 for the week. Feed costs were up $1.70 per head, and December futures decreased $9.43 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is improved from last week by $6.88 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $83.33.

Figure 1 - Weaner Pig Breakeven on May 1, 2026

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 76,315 head being reported which is 103% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $77.91, up $1.68 from a week ago. The low to high range was $62 to $88. Cash prices were 90.13% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $0.85 this week at $63.46.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 24,275 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $112.91, down $4.11 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

Graph 1 - Seasonal Trends on May 1, 2026

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

Graph 2 - Seasonal trends on May 1, 2026

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through May 1.

Graph 3 - Cash Price Differences on May 1, 2026

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $8.73 this week to a projected loss of $20.69 per head.

Graph 4 - Profit Opportunity on May 1, 2026

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

Is PRRS Air Filtration Worth the Cost? New 16-Year Study Results

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:45:28 GMT

New, highly virulent strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) are popping up around the country, proving that even “isolated” areas are no longer safe from aerosol transmission. A single PRRS break can cost a 5,000-head sow farm $5 million. Recent research proves filtration isn’t just a biosecurity measure; it’s a financial risk-management tool.

The Data: A 16-Year Deep Dive

A University of Minnesota Department of Veterinary Population Medicine study shows that farms with commercial air filtration systems experience a significantly lower risk of PRRS outbreaks compared to unfiltered operations:

● Negative pressure filtered farms: 51% lower risk of PRRSV outbreak.
● Positive pressure filtered farms: 58% lower risk of PRRSV outbreak.

“While air filtration methods combined with biosecurity measures have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing PRRSV introductions, this study is the first to comprehensively address the impact of different ventilation pressure types while controlling for regional pig density which is a main risk factor for disease occurrence,” says Dr. Cesar Corzo of the University of Minnesota.

This longitudinal study analyzed 16 years of data from 413 sow farms participating in the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP), representing more than 1.5 million sows. By accounting for herd size and the number of pigs within a 35-kilometer radius, the research provides the most accurate picture to date of how filtration stands up against regional disease pressure.

The Secret Weapon: How Filters Trap Viruses

Producers often mistake air filters for simple sieves, but capturing a virus requires more than just “small holes.” According to Rob Langenhorst, technical sales manager for AAF International, filters rely on four sophisticated physical principles:

Straining: Trapping particles larger than the space between fibers (dust, hair, insects).
Impaction: Heavy particles that can’t “make the turn” around a fiber and crash into it.
Interception: Medium particles that “brush” against a fiber and become snagged.
Diffusion: The zigzag movement of tiny particles (like viruses) that causes them to eventually bump into a fiber and stick.

The MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating tells how well these four forces work together. The swine industry is moving toward MERV 16 as the gold standard, Langenhorst says.

“MERV 14 gave us higher airflow but didn’t give us the protection,” he adds. “MERV 16 is the best of both worlds. They’re getting higher protection without compromising the airflow needed for ventilation.”

Making the Case to the Bank Manager

Paul Sennett, chief operating officer for AAF Americas, says the University of Minnesota Study provides the “missing link” for producers seeking capital for barn upgrades.

“The University of Minnesota report tells them the expense is sensible,” Sennett says. “However, the University of Minnesota also tells the bank manager that the investment is sensible. Now the producer has some evidence that they can take in front of the bank manager and say, ‘I need a couple of million dollars to do this, but here is the economic case.’ It’s a piece of science that demonstrates filtration is a financially sound investment to this situation.”

Fighting the ‘Wolves of Disease’ in the Nursery

As biosecurity tightens at the sow farm, the industry is shifting its focus to the nursery. Langenhorst notes a significant uptick in nursery filtration investment to protect the “clean” pigs coming out of filtered sow units.

“Maybe you spent X dollars filtering your sow farm and you have this beautiful, 21-day-old pig that’s nice and healthy,” he says. “You put it through the most strenuous day of its life at weaning, put it on a truck and take it to who knows where, commingle it with other pigs, and basically turn it out to the ‘wolves of disease.’”

Filtering the nursery protects the investment made at the sow farm. It allows the piglet’s immune system to strengthen before it moves on to the finishing barn, Langenhorst says.

The Human Element

Ultimately, cleaner air isn’t just about porcine health, it’s about the people in the barns.

“Productivity improves when things are cleaner,” Sennett says.

Beyond the pigs, filtered air supports the mental and physical health of the workforce. Preventing disease outbreaks and subsequent depopulation events is a key factor in employee retention and morale.

As new strains like PRRS 1-10-4 L1C.5.35 continue to strike previously “safe” areas in Ohio and Indiana , the mentality of the industry is shifting. “Producers who thought they were far enough away from the Midwest are realizing they aren’t,” Langenhorst concludes. “Now, they can’t build or remodel fast enough to get filtration in.”

Hog Market Outlook: Why Dave Delaney Sees a Summer Rally and Undervalued Futures

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:51:30 GMT

Is the hog market tighter than the data suggest? Ever.Ag’s Dave Delaney joined AgriTalk to break down why disease outbreaks are curbing supply despite record-setting productivity in healthy herds. From “red hot” feeder pig prices to a predicted summer rally, Delaney explains why the October board may be significantly undervalued and why he is looking as far ahead as 2027 to lock in “huge” profit margins.

Slaughter Trends and Supply

Although USDA’s March Hogs and Pigs report expected a 2% increase in supply in 2026, year-to-date slaughter is only up 0.5% (when adjusted for slaughter days). However, Delaney expects higher slaughter numbers over the next few weeks.

“I think the next three to four weeks, we’re likely going to slaughter more than we did a year ago,” he says. “Part of that is some lagging finish hogs that were health challenged, and the growing weather here the last month has been extremely good. I think we’re pulling ahead some.”

The “Health Narrative” Tightens Supply

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) continue to cause significant litter losses and death loss in some systems.

“With PRRS, we don’t know what to expect. But with PED, you get that in the sow farm, and that’s a period of loss of litters and loss of pigs,” Delaney says. “When you combine those two, and some of the variation of strains and the strength of these strains, it’s gotten pretty bad.”

The supply tightness is reflected in “red-hot” prices, Flory points out. With 40-lb. feeder pigs hitting $125, and wean pigs trading roughly $31.50 higher than this time last year, Delaney agrees the health situation has tightened things up.

Productivity vs. Disease

The market is currently sending conflicting signals: high death loss in some barns versus a USDA report showing record pigs saved per litter. Delaney says both are true.

Delaney says there is definitely a “balancing act” occurring between record-high pigs saved per litter in healthy systems and the significant losses in health-challenged systems.

“The genetics we have in place continue to get better, and we see our production numbers continue to climb forward,” he explains. “Those systems not affected by health issues are pushing out numbers of pigs the last three weeks. It’s a balancing act. Does the bad overtake the good or the good overtake the bad? That’s something we face within this industry every day.”

Summer Rally Ahead?

Delaney is optimistic about summer prices, predicting a rally that could last through September. He specifically points to the October lean hog futures as being “way undervalued.”

“I think we’re going to have the ability to put in some solid hedges with triple digits in October, and that probably comes on the heels of when we get extremely short July to August,” Delaney says.

He says the current market structure where June settles below July and August trades at a premium to July is a pattern he expects to repeat.

What Delaney Watches in the Hog Market

Hog weights have been a little “erratic,” but he expects them to show the typical seasonal decline as summer heat approaches.

“The growing conditions and healthy herds have helped us,” Delaney says. “Growers open barns up and say, ‘Oh my goodness, these things average 308? I didn’t expect that.’”

He is keeping a close eye on kill levels now, watching the aggressiveness or lack of aggressiveness of packers.

“We’ve got a few packers that are out searching here every day,” Delaney says. “When multiple packers call on a Monday wanting pigs for Friday, rather than a week ahead, that’s going to be our first sign this thing’s tightening up.”

And on the backside of that, he’s paying attention to the cutout and the demand factor.

“Right now our demand is good, but it just feels steady right now,” he says.

Risk Management Strategy

Will the grilling season help? Flory says if American consumers get even more beef hungry than they already are, the beef market is going to be “on fire.”

Delaney remains cautious about locking in prices too early. He is waiting for a seasonal rise in fundamentals to re-establish hedges at higher levels.

“We had the opportunity once to put in some summer hedges at pretty good levels that were same or above year ago,” he says. “We’re looking at pulling hedges off and reestablishing it at higher prices. My thought process here short term is flat and steadyish, maybe a seasonal little incremental rise in the fundamentals.”

Delaney is looking as far out as the summer of 2027, noting that the projected margins available for producers are “huge.”

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $64.27, Up $3.23 From Last Week

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:55:14 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on April 24 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in October 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $64.27, up $3.23 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.29 per head, and October futures increased $1.68 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $90.38.

(Nutriquest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 89,100 head being reported which is 121% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $76.23, down $2.08 from a week ago. The low to high range was $67 to $90. Cash prices were 84.41% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $3.93 this week at $62.61.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 29,040 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $117.02, down $3.29 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through April 24.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $5.31 this week to a projected loss of $11.96 per head.

(Nutriquest
)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $61.04, Down $10.06 From Last Week

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:29:45 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and breakeven pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on April 17 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in October 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $61.04, down $10.06 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.91 per head, and October futures decreased $1.70 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is declined from last week by $2.66 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in breakeven considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $87.15.

(Nutriquest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 82,860 head being reported which is 113% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $78.31, down $2.68 from a week ago. The low to high range was $67 to $92. Cash prices were 86.70% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $3.18 this week at $66.54.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 22,950 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $120.31, down $6.25 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through April 17, 2026.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $7.38 this week to a projected loss of $17.27 per head.

(Nutriquest)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $71.10, Down $0.59 from Last Week

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:13:31 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on April 10 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in September 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $71.10, down $0.59 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.07 per head, and October futures decreased $0.25 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “Margin over variable costs,” which is $97.21.

(Nutriquest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 85,000 head being reported which is 118% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $80.99, up $0.91 from a week ago. The low to high range was $68 to $95. Cash prices were 88.71% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $1.76 this week at $63.36.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 21,800 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $126.56, up $0.09 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

Nutriquest

(Nutriquest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through April 10.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $1.50 this week to a projected loss of $9.89 per head.

(Nutriquest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest.NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com .

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $71.69, Down $9.36 from Last Week

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:06:40 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and breakeven pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on April 3, 2026 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in September 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $71.69, down $9.36 for the week. Feed costs were down $1.04 per head, and October futures decreased $0.85 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is declined from last week by $4.10 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $97.80.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 86,600 head being reported which is 121% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $80.08, down $1.01 from a week ago. The low to high range was $71 to $95. Cash prices were 87.19% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $1.63 this week at $65.12.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 23,489 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $126.47, down $0.20 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(World Pork Expo)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through April 3.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $8.35 this week to a projected loss of $8.39 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $81.05, Down $4.68 from Last Week

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:25:16 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on March 27 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in September 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $81.05, up $4.68 for the week. Feed costs were down $0.80 per head, and October futures increased $1.85 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “Margin over variable costs,” which is $107.16.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 96,970 head being reported which is 137% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $81.09, down $7.97 from a week ago. The low to high range was $62 to $100. Cash prices were 88.77% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $0.45 this week at $63.49.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 30,815 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $126.67, down $0.69 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through March 27.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $12.65 this week to a projected loss of $0.04 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $76.37, Down $18.89 From Last Week

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:09:50 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on March 20 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in September 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $76.37, down $18.89 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.12 per head, and October futures decreased $1.63 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is declined from last week by $7.31 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $102.48.
Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 44,625 head being reported which is 64% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $89.06, down $0.61 from a week ago. The low to high range was $66 to $105. Cash prices were 97.61% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $14.69 this week at $63.94.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 15,945 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $127.36, up $1.30 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through March 20.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $18.28 this week to a projected loss of $12.69 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $95.26, Down $5.03 From Last Week

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:34:28 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on March 13 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in August 2026 using October 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $95.26, down $5.03 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.56 per head, and October futures decreased $2.13 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $121.37.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 88,851 head being reported which is 126% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $89.67, down $11.72 from a week ago. The low to high range was $74 to $118. Cash prices were 96.30% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $4.26 this week at $78.63.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 21,500 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $126.06, up $2.95 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through March 13.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $6.69 this week to a projected gain of $5.59 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

New Strategies to Combat F18+ E. Coli in Nursery Pigs

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 23:54:10 GMT

Post-weaning diarrhea caused by F18+ Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a growing health and economic challenge in swine production. Not only does it lead to significant morbidity, mortality and growth performance losses in nursery pigs, but emerging evidence indicates that some E. coli strains exhibit resistance to commonly used antibiotics, further complicating treatment strategies and underscoring the need for alternative approaches.

“We need to find new ways to disrupt mechanisms by which ETEC is exerting high toxicity and mortality,” said Joel Spencer with United Animal Health during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Annual Meeting. “If we can knock down some of these mechanisms, we have the opportunity to increase the efficacy of technologies that can improve pig survivability.”

A recent United Animal Health study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of one of their products, ProVent ECL, a direct-fed microbial (DFM) positioned for use in sow and nursery diets. This DFM was launched in 2016 to support health and performance through multiple mechanisms of protection against complex pathogen challenges.

Previous ProVent ECL field evaluations and internal research have been presented at AASV annual meetings showing improved health outcomes in commercial environments. The United Animal Health team wanted to further understand how ProVent ECL could influence intestinal health and mortality, so they set up a controlled nursery challenge study.

How Did the Study Work?

A total of 140 barrows were weaned, transported to a BSL-2 research facility, and randomly allotted to one of four dietary treatments by bodyweight in a randomized complete block design:

F18+ ETEC challenge only
F18+ ETEC challenge + 0.05% DFM in the nursery diet
F18+ ETEC challenge + 0.15% DFM in the nursery diet
F18+ ETEC challenge + 2500 ppm Zn from Zinc Oxide

All pigs were from sows consuming 181 g/ton tilmicosin in lactation, and all pigs were injected with tulathromycin at processing and weaning, respectively. Pigs were placed in elevated solid-sided pens containing five pigs/pen with eight or four replicate pens per treatment.

During the study, the pigs received a two-phase nursery diet and were placed on dietary treatments at weaning, and for the entire 28 day experimental period. On day 14, all pigs received a single oral gavage of F18+ ETEC that was positive for EAST1, LT, and Stx2 toxin genes.

Mortality and health were monitored by a consulting veterinarian, and these metrics were the focus in this controlled challenge study. Serial rectal swabs from one pig per pen were tested via qPCR to quantify inoculum F18 adhesin gene on days 2, 14, 17, 21 and 28. Each pig was euthanized on day 28 and ileum intestinal segments were collected to measure villous height, crypt depth and F18 adhesin gene quantities adhered to the intestinal mucosa. The data was then analyzed with pen or pig as the experimental unit and treatment was used as the fixed effect.

ProVent ECL Reduces Mortality

The model proved highly effective in evaluating the impact of a health-focused direct-fed microbial during a controlled E. coli infection, Spencer says. There were no differences in animal growth among treatments; however, there were significant impacts on infection and mortality.

“This model proved effective to separate out differences among treatments when dietary treatments were fed for 14 days prior to challenge and continued for 14 days post challenge,” he says. “The higher dietary inclusion of direct-fed microbial significantly reduced mortality and frequency of F18 adhesin gene adhered to the ileal mucosa of challenged pigs.”

Spencer says this higher level appeared to reduce infection of pigs and also improve intestinal recovery post challenge due to reduced adhesion and colonization of F18+ ETEC in the intestine.

“While this specific health-focused direct-fed microbial, ProVent ECL, did significantly reduce mortality under controlled conditions, other therapies will likely be required alongside the direct-fed microbial to optimize pig health under commercial conditions where co-infections and additional stressors must be considered,” Spencer says.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $109.30, Up $2.64 From Last Week

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:41:40 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Feb. 27 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in August 2026 using August 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $109.30, up $2.64 for the week. Feed costs were up $1.09 per head, and August futures increased $1.78 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $135.41.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 85,350 head being reported which is 123% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $102.43, down $6.99 from a week ago. The low to high range was $84 to $124. Cash prices were 93.38% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $1.77 this week at $76.86.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 23,750 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $125.88, down $0.73 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Feb. 27.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $9.63 this week to a projected gain of $6.87 per head.

(NutriQuest
)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $106.67, Up $10.66 From Last Week

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:52:38 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Feb. 20 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in August 2026 using August 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $106.67, up $10.66 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.53 per head, and August futures increased $3.53 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is improved from last week by $1.80 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $132.78.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 85,835 head being reported which is 124% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $109.42, down $0.72 from a week ago. The low to high range was $88 to $125. Cash prices were 102.23% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $5.42 this week at $75.09.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 26,870 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $126.61, up $2.42 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Feb. 20.

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $11.38 this week to a projected loss of $2.75 per head.

(NutriQuest
)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $96.00, Down $11.13 From Last Week

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:26:33 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Feb. 13 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in July 2026 using August 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $96.00, down $11.13 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.84 per head, and August futures decreased $4.90 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $122.11.

(Nutriquest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 44,860 head being reported which is 65% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $110.14, up $2.14 from a week ago. The low to high range was $88 to $123.Cash prices were 102.24% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $6.81 this week at $69.67.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 8,820 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $124.19, up $1.05 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(Nutriquest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Feb. 13.

(Nutriquest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $13.27 this week to a projected loss of $14.14 per head.

(Nutriquest
)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest.NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com .

Understanding Wean Stress is How to Minimize It

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:54:42 GMT

Swapping the only diet they’ve known for a different one, and learning a new eating system, puts a great deal of stress on piglets making the transition from sow’s milk to solid food and water. Producers can lean on a few solid strategies to make newly weaned pigs comfortable enough to thrive in the nursery.

Those working with nursery pigs observe firsthand the learning curve that comes with getting used to their new diet, flavors and textures, as well as pans, feeders, waterers and other equipment they have to learn to navigate. It’s important to help them start wanting to use these new tools to eat within the first 48 hours weaning off milk, as it gives them a desire for mealtime throughout their lives.

The Science of Stress

The stress response of pigs, like other livestock, is influenced by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis — glands that trigger adrenaline and cortisol when the animal is in a stressful situation. This is great in danger, such as escaping a predator, as the hormones can help the body override physical limitations or injury to get away. The problem is that the stress felt in less deadly situations also trips the HPA, and sustained stress keeps cortisol levels elevated.

In a wean pig, sustained cortisol release suppresses its immune system, which can lead to damaged gut microbiome integrity and leakiness. Successful stress management in the nursery goes back to trying to prevent too much cortisol-spiking.

One good way to gauge the pig’s stress level is if it is eating and drinking adequately. Monitor your pigs’ interest level as well as consumption. Are they interested in the waterers? Are they going to the feeders on their own and interacting with the equipment well? Group huddling and zero interest in getting up to eat at feeding time should be of concern.

I am in favor of using electrolytes or other additives in water for freshly weaned pigs — this helps them want to hydrate frequently, and some additives also stabilize their gut microbiome and may help immunocompromised piglets get started. Producers shouldn’t use these for long, since too much could lead to diarrhea — but for those critical first few days in the nursery, it can be an effective tool to help establish good habits.

Multiple Sources of Stress

Going from the farrowing space to nursery is one of the more stressful events in a pig’s life, not just because of a new diet. Everything is changing — separation from sow and littermates, living in a new pen or barn, increased socialization, a new schedule and things to learn. Even if you’re a veteran producer, reviewing practices from time to time isn’t a bad idea.

Before your influx of new pigs, make sure the barn is set up correctly. This includes preheating the space, making sure brooders work correctly and comfort mats are placed correctly.. This helps lessen the shock of temperature change from the farrowing space and being close to the sow. Check the ventilation — do the fans work? Are the controls set appropriately for the season and environment? Manage humidity to make sure the pigs get plenty of fresh air.

Use proper handling techniques when picking up and moving young pigs. You can learn more about the correct manner of handling through Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus guidelines from the Pork Checkoff. Rough handling increases cortisol levels and the chance of injury, as well as contributing to the pig’s fear of people; proper handling ensures that pigs remain fear free of humans.

Stocking density is also important in managing young pigs’ stress levels. Ensure they have adequate square footage per pig according to their age and proper feeder spaced and water station access per head. Also, make sure the space is sturdy — you don’t want them breaking through pens as they get bigger, since some aggression is normal as they socialize.

Good preparation of the living space and supplies goes a long way toward reducing stress and promoting pig health and welfare. Genetics companies can often provide specific recommendations about ideal stocking density, feeder space and other metrics for animals from their lines. If you have access to such a source, I encourage you to review their guidelines.

Don’t Forget Transport Stress

One other source of potential stress for new nursery pigs is in transport. Be sure your hauler maintains clean, dry trucks that are disinfected thoroughly between runs — producers are encouraged to run empty trailers through a “bake” to reduce the possibility of infection between groups.

Drivers should use the safest routes possible, to minimize animals’ time on the road, especially in extreme temperatures. In hot weather, pigs rely on evaporative cooling since they can’t sweat, so spraying with water when appropriate is critical to survival and welfare.

Of course, also make certain you have plenty of feed and water ready for incoming wean pigs, including medications or other additives — discuss these with your veterinarian. If you don’t already, I highly recommend having both a veterinarian and nutritionist to help develop a plan with maximum benefit for your nursery pigs. This should address gradual diet changes as they age, use of any functional additives and probiotics, a vaccination program tailored to health status and geared for the prevention of disease and more to aid in proactive stress management.

Claire Mtezankuni, DVM, MVS is an associate swine veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $103.58, Up $2.28 From Last Week

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:26:57 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Jan. 30 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in July 2026 using August 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $103.58, up $2.28 for the week. Feed costs were down $0.47 per head, and August futures decreased $1.10 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is improved from last week by $1.96 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $129.69.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 36,018 head being reported which is 52% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $107.64, up $7.61 from a week ago. The low to high range was $89 to $118. Cash prices were 99.09% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $5.44 this week at $74.12.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 17,100 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $125.11, up $7.38 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Jan. 30.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $5.33 this week to a projected loss of $4.06 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

How to Provide Nutritional Support for Weaned Pigs

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:03:01 GMT

By Alexa Gormley and Sung Woo Kim

Weaning is widely regarded as the most difficult period in the life of a growing pig. In commercial production, pigs are typically weaned between 3 to 4 weeks of age, when the small intestine is physiologically immature, with insufficient digestive enzyme production and a naive intestinal immune system.

A major challenge associated with weaning is the abrupt dietary transition from sow milk to solid feed.

Sow milk is nutrient-dense and easily digested by suckling pigs, whereas nursery diets rely on feedstuffs like corn and soybean meal that are less digestible for newly weaned pigs due to antinutritional compounds, including allergenic proteins, trypsin inhibitors and nonstarch polysaccharides. These factors can impair nutrient digestibility and compromise the integrity of the small intestine.

Weaning also drives significant changes in the mucosal microbiota, from populations adapted to milk components to those capable of fermenting plant-derived nutrients. Reduced digestive efficiency postweaning period allows nutrients to remain available to microbes, promoting excessive fermentation, intestinal inflammation, diarrhea, reduced growth performance and increased disease susceptibility.

The 3 P’s of Dietary Intervention

To mitigate these challenges, numerous dietary interventions have been investigated to support the small intestine postweaning.

Given its central role, many strategies focus on supporting the mucosal microbiota, such as through the use of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. A series of research projects conducted by the Kim Lab of Monogastric Nutrition and Digestive Physiology at North Carolina State University has investigated the effects of these interventions on intestinal health in nursery pigs.

Prebiotics are substrates selectively utilized by beneficial bacteria to support their activity.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can establish a more favorable microbial balance.
Postbiotics include inactivated microbial cells or metabolites that can interact with the intestinal epithelium and immune system to exert beneficial effects.

Providing prebiotics, probiotics or postbiotics during the postweaning period may help stabilize the mucosal microbiota during dietary transition.

The Kim Lab’s work is unique in its focus on the mucosa-associated microbiota of the small intestine, which directly interacts with the small intestinal epithelium. This is particularly relevant as the small intestine is the primary site of nutrient digestion and absorption, as well as immune activity. Beneficial microbes interact with pattern recognition receptions to promote anti-inflammatory signaling, mitigating intestinal inflammation and diarrhea and improving growth performance, whereas harmful microbes induce pro-inflammatory responses that damage intestinal tissue and impair performance.

Strategic application of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics offers an opportunity to improve intestinal health postweaning. By supporting the mucosal microbiota and associated immune interactions, these interventions may reduce performance losses in the postweaning period. As the nursery period is the time with the greatest potential for growth efficiency, maximizing health and performance during this time is of significant interest to pig producers. Therefore, nutritional strategies targeting the mucosal microbiota could serve as an important nutritional intervention for nursery pigs.

Alexa Gormley is a graduate research assistant, and Sung Woo Kim is the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and University Faculty Scholar at North Carolina State University.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $99.57, Up $5.64 from Last Week

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:57:04 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Jan. 16 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in July 2026 using July 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $99.57, up $5.64 for the week. Feed costs were down $2.63 per head, and July futures increased $2.28 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is declined from last week by $0.84 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $125.68.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 43,375 head being reported which is 62% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $90.97, up $7.64 from a week ago. The low to high range was $75 to $100. Cash prices were 85.23% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $2.39 this week at $70.41.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 6,625 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $108.29, up $4.37 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Jan. 16.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $2.00 this week to a projected gain of $8.60 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $93.94, Up $2.79 from Last Week

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:45:28 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Jan. 9 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in June 2026 using July 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $93.94, up $2.79 for the week. Feed costs were up $1.15 per head, and July futures increased $1.88 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $120.05.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 71,400 head being reported which is 102% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $83.33, up $6.13 from a week ago. The low to high range was $65 to $95. Cash prices were 79.62% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $1.64 this week at $68.02.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was above average with 19,050 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $103.92, up $7.84 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through January 9, 2026.

NutriQuest

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $3.34 this week to a projected gain of $10.61 per head.

(NutriQuest
)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

Deep Dive into Diarrhea: Research Explores Emerging Porcine Sapovirus Pathogen

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:52:02 GMT

Diarrhea. It’s beyond frustrating. It reduces performance, causes dehydration and can lead to high mortality. It costs producers money and time. In the past few years, an emerging pathogen, porcine sapovirus (PoSaV), has been identified as a significant cause of piglet diarrhea.

PoSaV is challenging to differentiate from other viruses like porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), delta coronavirus and transmissible gastroenteritis, says Lisa Becton, DVM, associate director of the Swine Health Information Center. Infected pigs, particularly those in the weaning and post-weaning stages, can show mild to moderate diarrhea or remain clinically healthy while shedding the virus in feces. The virus is environmentally stable so it can spread quickly in a herd.

Though PoSaV infections are generally self-limiting, studies have shown that affected piglets may suffer a loss in expected weaning weight of roughly 1.0 to 2.0 lb. per head, SHIC reports. These “seemingly small performance gaps” can add up quickly across large production systems. Co-infections with other enteric pathogens, such as rotavirus, swine enteric coronaviruses, and Escherichia coli, may worsen clinical signs and further decrease productivity.

“The problem with PoSaV is that there has been, up until recently, very limited mechanisms to grow and propagate the virus,” Becton says. “That is very important if you want to continue to further your diagnostics – if you want to actually grow the virus in cell culture or for development of vaccine.”

Accurate detection and isolation of circulating PoSaV strains is needed to not only characterize infection but also develop preventative strategies.

Porcine Sapovirus Research Isolates Field Strains from U.S. Herds

A recent study published in Veterinary Microbiology conducted by Qiuhong Wang at The Ohio State University and Thomas Petznick, DVM, at Veterinary Health Services in Omaha, Neb., details the successful isolation of contemporary PoSaV field strains from U.S. swine herds.

In this study, five sow farms in Nebraska were sampled that had piglets exhibiting PoSaV-suspected gastroenteritis outbreaks. Samples were collected between November 2023 through May 2024 from piglets 12 to 28 days of age with clinical signs of diarrhea. A total of 35 fecal and seven small intestinal samples were obtained for testing.

All samples were evaluated for the presence of PoSaV GIII by PCR. Molecular PCR screening revealed that 60% of the samples were positive, confirming a significant presence in the herds. Four of five farms tested positive for PoSaV based on PCR results, with detection rates of 33% to 100%. Detection of GIII PoSaV from the samples in this study indicates that GIII continues to be the main genogroup in suckling and post-weaning pigs.

“The 60% prevalence of PoSaV in the clinically affected pigs is consistent with previous findings, providing evidence that PoSaV could be a major enteric pathogen responsible for diarrhea in younger piglets,” SHIC reports. “However, diagnostic testing was not performed for the detection of other enteric viruses such as rotavirus or astrovirus.”

Further characterization of the samples showed three of the samples from three different farms were similar, suggesting a shared more recent common ancestor. However, the sample from the fourth farm branches separately, suggesting it may have undergone evolutionary changes that differentiate it from other strains. These findings emphasize the need for continued surveillance and molecular characterization of identified strains, SHIC reports.

(Source: Veterinary Microbiology)

Deciphering Diarrhea

“This study furthers our understanding of PoSaV as an emerging disease,” Becton says. “It fills gaps in knowledge and technologies that we have not had to date, with the goal to help reduce and mitigate the impact. If we can grow the virus and understand and characterize it better, that could lead us to improve diagnostics as well as vaccine alternatives or options.”

Viruses adapt very well to their host, Becton points out. When a virus infects the gut of a pig, it’s very specific for that environment and has very specific growth requirements for entry into the cells.

“When you try to replicate that model of a pig’s intestines outside of the pig, it gets very difficult, because the viruses may not always want to adhere or get into the cells like they would under normal or natural situations,” she adds. “There can be biochemical changes with how the virus responds to other cells. There are different functions within the pig that are very hard to mimic outside of the pig.”

This is why Wang and Petznick’s PoSaV study is so encouraging to the swine industry.

“It gives us opportunity to do a deeper dive into what’s causing baby pig diarrhea,” Becton says. “If we can understand that better, and accurately diagnose what the causative agent is, then we can come up with a different plan on how to manage it.”

Read the full report from SHIC here.

How to Keep Rotaviral Scours to a Minimum Among Piglets

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:11:50 GMT

Rotavirus may be common throughout the U.S. swine population, but piglet infections on a given farm doesn’t have to be inevitable. There are methods and tools to fight the virus.

Rotavirus-induced scours is complex, because presence of the virus alone isn’t enough to lead to clinical infection. The piglet most likely to experience severe illness — in the 2- to 7-days-of-age range — needs to also be susceptible to infection, through lack of immunity, environmental stressors, an overwhelming viral challenge to its still-developing immune system or a combination of these.

Tackling rotaviral challenges today is shifting away from simply treating an outbreak, to more aggressive preventive measures. Treatment has frequently consisted of antibiotics — and this doesn’t work on a virus. Moreover, unnecessary antimicrobials can actually wipe out beneficial bacteria in the piglet’s gut that help maintain its developing immune system and appetite.

Boosting Biosecurity

Done right, sanitation and hygiene are highly effective tools for keeping rotavirus at bay in the farrowing space. Ask yourself when cleaning between litters: Is the crate completely free of organic matter on which rotavirus (and other pathogens) can survive? Are you lifting dividers, getting into corners and under the crate where manure and other matter can build up? Also:

● Clean with hot water — heat helps denature rotavirus

● Use degreasters or detergents that also destroy biofilm buildup

● Rotate your disinfectants and use different classes of them, to discourage pathogenic resistance

● Whitewashing using an alkaline base that alters the pH of surfaces helps kill pathogens

Your goal is to make all farrowing surfaces hostile to rotavirus but safe for the sow and piglets. In addition, clean farrowing hallways and other high-traffic areas such as wean pig chutes before and after sows move through the farrowing room. Other measures to consider:

● Cover or change footwear when moving from hallways and other areas into the farrowing crate

● Change gloves between handling different litters

● If a litter is scouring, handle non-scouring litters first (and change gloves)

● It may not be necessary to ban cross-litter fostering on your farm, but it’s something to seriously consider if you want to do absolutely all you can to limit potential transmission — talk with your veterinarian

Keeping piglets warm, dry and fed also goes a long way toward discouraging infection. This might include drying agents, adjusting height and intensity of heat lamps and even administering an oral drench for moisture and electrolytes if necessary. Of course, the first focus for providing the piglet with nutrition should be on sow wellness — if she’s comfortable and eating and drinking well to produce plenty of milk, hungry piglets are far more likely to thrive.

Vaccination is King

Effectively fighting rotavirus infection, however, starts much closer to the piglet and the maternal antibodies it receives through colostrum and subsequent milk. In fact, the primary way to protect your piglets from rotaviral scours is through a healthy sow with pre-farrow vaccine. Although some producers prefer using feedback for sows, the resulting immunity usually only works in cycles and can still leave gaps for piglet scours — vaccine-induced immunity is more even and dependable.

Because there are different killed vaccines to immunize against rotavirus, especially if you are experiencing chronic scours in your litters or see a spike despite using a rigorous pre-farrow vaccine schedule, it’s important to conduct diagnostic tests for the viral strain responsible. Rotavirus consists of several species that can each mutate rapidly; this means you may need to change your vaccine or even have your veterinarian prescribe an autogenous one.

I recommend having a diagnostic sequence performed every 3-6 months even if you’re not seeing scours, since I believe it’s better to be proactive and prevent illness and mortalities rather than wait for clinical infection to land in your crate.

And to be really proactive, start boosting your sow’s immunity when she’s still a gilt. While acclimating her to the sow herd, expose her to rotavirus and vaccinate before she’s bred. This ensures the pre-farrow vaccination and/or feedback are not her first exposure — which can mean possible illness and diarrhea — and are instead just another layer to her immunity toward creating strong maternal antibodies.

Reflection = Good for ROI

In addition to diagnostics to isolate the specific rotaviral strain(s) on your farm, I advise regularly reviewing cleaning, handling and sow and piglet care practices in your barn.

One aid to doing this is to monitor metrics; in fact, you may already be collecting this data and can put it to work right away. Keep track of how many litters, and piglets in those litters, are showing scours, and which sows so you can note patterns. Other data to use are scours mortalities, of course, but also low wean weights as well as inconsistent growth among piglets in the same litter or of whole litters at wean time. If diagnostics show your vaccines are up-to-date for rotavirus present in your operation, go observe the people doing the work and be sure your protocols are working — and being followed.

So much of piglet health success rests on a farm’s staff sticking to successful processes, daily. If I’m visiting a farm that is having scours issues, I take time to observe workers handling the farrowing, piglets and sow care, as well as those washing and disinfecting, administering pre-farrow vaccines and more. The solution is sometimes as simple as a change to materials or retraining on correct procedure. Similarly, if you hire new or reassign someone to do a different job, it’s a good idea to check in when they begin to make sure they are trained and doing their task properly.

Our industry has a number of tools to wean healthy, productive piglets — but only if they’re effectively and consistently used. Invest wisely in sow immunity, track and measure outcomes for success and review diagnostics and biosecurity protocols regularly.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $91.14, Up $12.51 from Last Week

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:53:26 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Jan. 2, and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in June 2026 using July 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $91.14, up $12.51 for the week. Feed costs were down $1.89 per head, and July futures increased $1.40 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is improved from last week by $3.66 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $117.25.

Figure 1

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 63,730 head being reported which is 91% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $77.20, up $4.69 from a week ago. The low to high range was $62 to $86. Cash prices were 74.93% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $3.78 this week at $69.66.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 13,200 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $96.08, up $3.01 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

Graph 1

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

Graph 2

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Jan. 2.

Graph 3

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $7.82 this week to a projected gain of $13.94 per head.

Graph 4

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $78.63, Up $0.30 from Last Week

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:55:59 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn, and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Dec. 26 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in June 2026 using June 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $78.63, up $0.30 for the week. Feed costs were up $1.01 per head, and June futures increased $0.63 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $104.74.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report
Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 87,732 head being reported which is 126% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $72.51, up $2.33 from a week ago. The low to high range was $52 to $85. Cash prices were 71.08% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were down $1.68 this week at $65.88.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 12,850 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $93.07, up $6.11 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Dec. 26.

NutriQuest

(NutriQuest
)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential decreased $2.03 this week to a projected gain of $6.12 per head.

(NutriQuest )

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $78.33, Up $3.67 from Last Week

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:46:54 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Dec. 19 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in June 2026 using June 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $78.33, up $3.67 for the week. Feed costs were up $0.51 per head, and June futures increased $0.65 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is improved from last week by $1.34 per cwt.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $104.44.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 34,004 head being reported which is 50% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $70.18, up $1.27 from a week ago. The low to high range was $54 to $76. Cash prices were 69.23% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $7.66 this week at $67.56.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 9,900 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $86.96, up $1.77 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Dec. 19.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $2.40 this week to a projected gain of $8.15 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $74.67, Up $5.66 from Last Week

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 20:03:41 GMT

NutriQuest Business Solutions publishes weekly weaner pig profitability calculations which uses industry representative production costs and futures pricing for lean hogs, corn and soybean meal, using historical basis assumptions, to establish approximate profitability and break-even pricing for the current sale or purchase of weaner pigs. Prices are based on closing futures prices on Dec. 12 and assumes CME Lean Hog Index cost and historical basis assumptions.

When you consider that today’s purchased weaner would be sold in May 2026 using June 2026 futures, the weaner breakeven was $74.67, up $5.66 for the week. Feed costs were down $0.62 per head, and June futures increased $2.40 compared to last week’s futures, while historical basis is unchanged from last week.

The “weaner pig breakeven” is an all-in break-even considering fixed costs (e.g., housing and labor) that would be incurred by the buyer. However, many buyers of weaners have empty space and therefore will incur these fixed costs whether the buildings are stocked with weaners. For those producers with empty space, the maximum price a buyer could pay for a weaner pig and breakeven is the “margin over variable costs,” which is $100.78.

(NutriQuest)

Note that the weaner pig profitability calculations provide weekly insight into the relative value of pigs based on assumptions that may not be reflective of your individual situation.

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Cash traded weaner pig volume was below average this week with 54,004 head being reported which is 79% of the 52-week average. Cash prices were $68.91, up $3.80 from a week ago. The low to high range was $57 to $76. Cash prices were 69.01% of average 6-month Lean Hog Futures for the week.

Formula-priced weaners were up $0.43 this week at $59.90.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average with 13,000 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $85.19, up $1.81 per head from last week.

Graph 1 shows the seasonal trends of the cash weaner pig market.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 2 shows the seasonal trends of cash weaner pig market as percentage of 6-month Lean Hog Futures.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 3 shows the cash weaner price and cash feeder price on a weekly basis through Dec. 12.

(NutriQuest)

Graph 4 shows the estimated weaner pig profit by comparing the weaner pig cash price to the weaner breakeven. The profit potential increased $1.86 this week to a projected gain of $5.76 per head.

(NutriQuest)

Jennifer Brown is Director of NutriQuest Business Solutions, a division of NutriQuest. NutriQuest Business Solutions is a team of leading business and financial experts that bring years of unparalleled experience in the livestock, row-crop and financial industries. At NutriQuest our success comes from helping producers realize improved profitability and sustainability through innovation driven by a relentless focus on helping producers succeed. For more information, please visit our website at www.nutriquest.com or email jenniferbrown@nutriquest.com.

How the Pork Industry is Tackling Pig Livability Today

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:14:49 GMT

Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean that’s a good way to keep doing it. Eight years ago, the National Pork Board’s animal science committee took a hard look at mortality in all phases of production, realizing that 35% of pigs born in the U.S. never enter the human food chain.

“Besides being a welfare issue and a bad optic from a social license standpoint, it’s just a bad business model, too,” says Chris Hostetler, director of animal science at the National Pork Board.

This committee believed the best way to make a difference in the number of pigs going to market is a renewed focus on student training and real research that’s shifting how farmers raise pigs.

“We know pigs die for a variety of reasons – it could be health-related, management practices, genetic predisposition,” Hostetler says. “Because it’s a multi-factorial issue, it takes a lot of different subject matter expertise and coordination. It’s a big, heavy lift to do this research and train undergraduate and graduate students to do it in a coordinated, cooperative fashion.”

What is the Pork Industry Doing to Improve Pig Livability?

National Pork Board partnered with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to bring the Improving Pig Livability Project to life. They gathered a group of subject matter experts to focus efforts on improving pig livability in all phases of production while training graduate students, undergraduate students and veterinary students.

“There needs to be a generational shift,” Hostetler says. “These people will be decision makers for our industry down the road.”

Joel DeRouchey, a professor at Kansas State University, says the research efforts aim to generate new information for producers, validate current production practices or disprove practices that aren’t moving the needle.

From pelvic organ prolapse to individual sow care and from split suckle protocols to gruel feeding, DeRouchey says the studies are providing actionable results that producers can apply on farm immediately.

Producers appreciate the research taking place that they can’t do themselves, he adds.

“We’re able to do the majority of this research in a commercial setting,” DeRouchey says. “Then, all that information is shared for the greater swine industry, not only in the U.S., but around the world. We get positive feedback from not only swine producers, but those in allied industry who support swine producers, on how this information is all shared and not kept in a proprietary way.”

Collaborating for U.S. Pork Excellence

DeRouchey says this is fostering an atmosphere of selflessness – of people pulling together to move the industry forward. No single university research program can be everything to everybody, so this project allows universities to cross expertise to get more done.

“About $1.5 million in additional contributions to this effort tells me producers and industry collaborators are interested in getting these best management practices employed on farms, and that they’re willing to allow researchers onto their farms and have access to sows, pigs, data and information,” Hostetler says. “It speaks to the fact that they’re very supportive of the outcomes from the project.”

When it comes to partnering with commercial operations to do this research, DeRouchey says the universities provide the experimental design, a graduate student to collect the research and sometimes, an intern to assist.

“We need their commitment that their team in the barn will help do what’s needed to get that data collected correctly,” DeRouchey says. “Plus, an understanding that everything’s going to be published – there’s no proprietary information generated when we’re partnering together on these areas.”

He also says it’s key that the farm is passionate about that topic, so management and production staff are excited to get that information as well.

Hungry for Continuous Improvement

“Producers are hungry for this information,” DeRouchey says. “If we go back to 2015, we started to see increases in mortality rates in all phases of production. Until last year, that trend had been continuing to go up for about nine years now. Last year we started to see some slight decreases in some of the production areas. Hopefully we’re going to start bringing it back down on a consistent basis.”

Hostetler values producers’ mentality of continuous improvement and getting better every day.

“Producers are looking for better ways to do things that they have traditionally done,” Hostetler says. “There’s opportunity to get better every day. Producers recognize the value of adapting these best management practices or changes in management decisions in a timelier fashion to affect productivity on their farm.”

Since its inception, the program has trained more than 50 undergraduate and nearly 30 graduate students and provided nearly 20 undergraduate internships. Information is available at piglivability.org and through nearly 40 peer-reviewed publications, nearly 40 abstracts/presentations, more than 120 presentations at conferences, more than 30 factsheets (with two-third available in Spanish), two economic decision tools and 30 informational videos (with one-third available in Spanish).

What’s Next?

An industry advisory board made up of about 10 people across all different facets of the commercial industry, production systems, veterinarians, nutritionists, geneticists and more are continuing to advise and direct research topics.

“As we continue evolving this, it’s all about staying relevant,” DeRouchey says. “It’s continuing to get the message out from the information generated to provide value to pork producers.”

Where Can I Find More Information?

For more on the Improving Pig Livability Project and its findings, visit: piglivability.org .

When ‘Negative’ Nurse Sows Become an Opportunity
Managing Large Litters: Can Sows Nurse More Pigs Than Teats?

Weaner pigs

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $60.38, Up $3.16 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $57.22, Down $7.05 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Is PRRS Air Filtration Worth the Cost? New 16-Year Study Results

The Data: A 16-Year Deep Dive

The Secret Weapon: How Filters Trap Viruses

Making the Case to the Bank Manager

Fighting the ‘Wolves of Disease’ in the Nursery

The Human Element

Hog Market Outlook: Why Dave Delaney Sees a Summer Rally and Undervalued Futures

Slaughter Trends and Supply

The “Health Narrative” Tightens Supply

Productivity vs. Disease

Summer Rally Ahead?

What Delaney Watches in the Hog Market

Risk Management Strategy

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $64.27, Up $3.23 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $61.04, Down $10.06 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $71.10, Down $0.59 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $71.69, Down $9.36 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $81.05, Down $4.68 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $76.37, Down $18.89 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $95.26, Down $5.03 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

New Strategies to Combat F18+ E. Coli in Nursery Pigs

How Did the Study Work?

ProVent ECL Reduces Mortality

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $109.30, Up $2.64 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $106.67, Up $10.66 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $96.00, Down $11.13 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Understanding Wean Stress is How to Minimize It

The Science of Stress

Multiple Sources of Stress

Don’t Forget Transport Stress

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $103.58, Up $2.28 From Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

How to Provide Nutritional Support for Weaned Pigs

The 3 P’s of Dietary Intervention

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $99.57, Up $5.64 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $93.94, Up $2.79 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Deep Dive into Diarrhea: Research Explores Emerging Porcine Sapovirus Pathogen

Porcine Sapovirus Research Isolates Field Strains from U.S. Herds

Deciphering Diarrhea

How to Keep Rotaviral Scours to a Minimum Among Piglets

Boosting Biosecurity

Vaccination is King

Reflection = Good for ROI

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $91.14, Up $12.51 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $78.63, Up $0.30 from Last Week

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $78.33, Up $3.67 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

Weaner Pig Breakeven at $74.67, Up $5.66 from Last Week

From the National Direct Delivered Feeder Pig Report

How the Pork Industry is Tackling Pig Livability Today

What is the Pork Industry Doing to Improve Pig Livability?

Collaborating for U.S. Pork Excellence

Hungry for Continuous Improvement

What’s Next?

Where Can I Find More Information?

Read More: