Source: Chris Hurt, Dept. of Ag Economics, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, 3/28/16

The nation's pork producers have indicated to USDA that they are not expanding the breeding herd and, in fact, intend to reduce farrowings this spring and summer. This means pork supplies will be somewhat less than had been anticipated and that hog prices will be somewhat higher.

For the USDA's March Hogs and Pigs report, pork producers' indicated that the size of the nation's breeding herd was unchanged from the same date one-year earlier. The herd had been in an expansion phase from the last half of 2014 through 2015. That expansion was largely because of record high profits due to baby pig losses from PED. That expansion phase seemingly has now ended.

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