Retail pork prices hit record high levels this summer and are expected to remain elevated heading into the holiday season, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts said.
In July, average retail pork prices reached the highest point of the year, $5.01 per pound, up from $4.92 a year ago, said David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestockandfoodmarketing economist and professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
“Supplies remain tight as U.S. pork production has edged lower due to reduced sow numbers, despite gains in productivity per litter,” he said. “Consumers should expect higher prices this fall because production is about the same as last year and we’re not seeing expansion in the herd. “Without more production, prices are going to stay high.”
Wholesale prices for several key cuts, including hams, pork bellies and trimmings used for sausage are well above year-ago levels, Anderson said.
However, pork loins are a relative bargain at $1.13 per pound wholesale, compared to $1.26 a year ago. Seasonal shifts in consumer demand also shape the market, with ribs and shoulders popular for summer grilling while hams gain momentum in the fall and winter holidays.
While Texas may trail other states in pork production, it does have a unique $50 million-a-year show pig industry serving thousands of youths who raise animals for major stock shows each year. Many of those animals ultimately enter the food chain, while breeding gilts help sustain herds.
AgriLife Extension district reporters prepared the following report for the Central Texas district: Scattered showers delivered up to 2.5 inches of rain, but hot, humid weather stressed pastures. Weed pressure increased. Stock tanks and reservoirs stayed in good condition. Corn and sorghum harvests continued with yields ranging from fair to above average. Second-crop corn looked good under irrigation. Cotton progressed toward harvest with bolls opening. Hay yields were excellent, with some areas starting a third cutting. Grasshoppers and armyworms were reported in some pastures. Livestock were in good condition with minimal supplemental feeding. Cattle, sheep and goat markets were strong, and the calf crop appeared healthy.