Pork consumption continues to disappoint

Apr 24, 2023

Despite some reprieve in feed costs, pork producers are currently losing $28 per head on open market hogs. Based on anticipated producer response to weaker returns and the farrowing intentions detailed in the latest USDA Hogs and Pigs report, RaboResearch analysts expect tighter hog supplies beginning late fourth quarter, into early 2024.

According to Rabobank's April North American Agribusiness Review, prices have dropped 20% from 2022 levels, with average weekly slaughter running above 2.4 million through March and year-to-date slaughter up 1.4% year-over-year.

"As the industry moves through the near-term bulge in heavy weight hog supplies indicated in the latest Hogs and Pigs report, we expect Q2 2023 slaughter levels to drop below year-ago, and prices to firm."

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.