Source: Jim Mintert, FARM PROGRESS, 8/6/21


The U.S. pork industry has grown remarkably over the last two decades. From 2001 to 2020, the number of hogs processed in the U.S. increased from just under 98 million head to 131.5 million head, or 34%. U.S. pork production grew even faster, rising 48% as hogs were increasingly processed at heavier weights. For many years the U.S. hog industry was characterized by a hog production-price cycle where production and price changes were inversely correlated over several years.

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