There was an increase of 524 hogs compared to the previous week. There are approximately 89,000 hogs offered for sale week beginning March 26. View a summary of the week's statistics. The slaughter level in the U.S. is estimated at 1,871,000 head this week, down 32,000 from last week.
Processors continue to experience negative margins in Canada.
There are some reductions in slaughter for next week as result. The increase in hog costs continues to outpace the change in wholesale value of the cuts. While the U.S. price dipped slightly at the end of the week, we have experienced dramatic gains over the past few weeks. The Canadian dollar has weakened in relation to the U.S. dollar and this has improved Ontario prices as well. The near term and long term contracts experienced similar change.