October 12, 2009

The US Department of Agriculture raised its estimate for 2009 pork production by 70 million pounds from the previous month's projection.

 

The department released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, or WASDE, report early Friday. USDA's projection for fourth-quarter pork production in the latest report was up just 5.0 million pounds from the previous month. The third quarter output estimate was raised by 65.0 million pounds from the September forecast.

 

The increase was mainly due to larger than expected slaughter rates in the third quarter and heavier average hog weights during that period. Unusually mild weather conditions through most of July and August were favourable for swine and allowed the animals to put on weight faster than normal.

 

Typically, hogs don't grow as well during the heat of the summer because they don't eat as much. Unlike humans, swine don't have sweat glands, so they aren't as active when temperatures are high.

 

This summer was unusually mild for most of the Midwest where the majority of the nation's hogs are produced and slaughtered.

 

In early August, the USDA's average weight for slaughter hogs in Iowa/southern Minnesota rose to a record-wide spread from a year ago of 10.4 pounds. Heavier live weights result in more edible pork produced from each hog.

 

The wide spread in Iowa/southern Minnesota hog weights from a year ago has gradually narrowed since mid-August. As of last week, it was at 2.5 pounds, according to USDA.