Now is a challenging time for pork production

The last two years have not been easy on meat. Pork has had a harder time bouncing back in the post-covid market than its beef and poultry counterparts. The price of pork finished 2022 at just over $5.00 per pound, more than a 30 percent increase since the beginning of 2020. As consumers opt out of pork in favor of cheaper proteins, producers face the challenge of repositioning in a hostile market.

director for North Star Commodity in downtown Minneapolis. He spoke at the BankIn Minnesota Ag Conference in Mankato this past June. “Pork producers are experiencing losses of $15 to $28 per pig. We need help in this sector that can only come from cheaper prices. I am hopeful China will start importing more pork.”

Talent In The Greenseam

In GreenSeam’s 2023 State of Ag survey, more than 300 respondents — all with connections to agriculture — were asked to select four issues that most affect their business’ ability to grow. Out of the 11 issues presented, consumer demand took third place, following talent and public policy. (Complete results of the survey can be found at www.greenseam.org/stateofag.)

By Holly Callaghan

Ward forecasts exports should see a rise by late fall, ebbing the oversupply and minimizing the need for producers to scale down.

expected to roll off in 2023 and producers can look forward to increased exports to China by late fall. The losses sustained on each pig will likely lead to some restructuring in the industry — including downsizing and specializing. In the meantime, the best thing for everyone to do is eat more pork and continue supporting pork producers.

Unfortunately, consumer demand can also present the threat of not meeting supply.

Exporting more pork could alleviate the surplus. Jason Ward is a market analyst and managing