The Pork Industry at a Glance - National Pork Board

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Quick Facts Introduction Table of Pork Did You Pork The History FAQ Contents Checkoff Know Facts of Pork Timeline distant from packing plants or terminal markets. Producers also have the option of selling directly to packers and delivering pigs to the plant or to buying stations. This type of marketing has increased over the years and is now used for the vast majority of pigs produced. More than 95 percent of the pigs produced in the United States are now sold on “carcass-merit” pricing systems in which a portion of the price is determined by certain characteristics of the animal. Current systems pay premiums for pigs with low amounts of fat and high amounts of muscle. Advanced measurement systems that will allow premiums to be paid for carcasses with betterflavored, juicier and more tender meat are being researched by producers and processors. The marketing chain for pigs is made up of a wide variety of businesses that include pork producers, packers, processors, purveyors, retailers and foodservice operators. All play an important role in adding value to pigs by producing pork products that meet the needs and desires of consumers worldwide. Prices for Pigs No matter what marketing system is used, prices are generally determined by supply and demand. There have historically been few government subsidies to support producers in times of low prices. If supplies are low and/or demand is high, prices will be high. If supplies are high and/or demand is low, prices will be low. Pig prices vary cyclically and seasonally. Cyclical price variation is caused by time lags inherent to biological production. When prices are high, more sows are bred and more pigs are produced. But these pigs will not reach market for about a year after they are conceived. When they do, supplies increase and prices fall, thus causing a price cycle. Seasonal price variation is caused by changes in production efficiency due to weather variation and by different demand levels, such as higher demand during the fall months.. Producers can manage the prices they receive by hedging hogs with futures or options contracts or by forward contracting hogs with a packer. Futures and options are traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (Lean Hogs and Pork Bellies contracts). 56 Pork Production Today
Pork Production Public Pork Names and Environment Stats Glossary Today Health Safety Numbers Quick Facts Quick Facts Environmental Stewardship Pork producers are committed to managing their farms in an environmentally responsible manner in order to protect the environment and conserve the natural resources for future generations. Today’s pork production operations capture, treat and recycle the valuable nutrients produced in manure so they can be used as a natural source of fertilizer. Over the last decade, America’s pork producers have played a leading role in advancing animal agriculture’s environmental and conservation efforts. Producers work to address environmental challenges in a cooperative and productive fashion by partnering with government, scientists, conservationists and the communities in which they live and farm. For instance, the pork industry’s work on the environment has included helping to develop better best-management practices (BMPs) in manure containment and use, and working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund air-quality monitoring studies. Most producers have implemented a nutrient management plan, which is a compilation of conservation practices and management activities developed for a specific production site that helps ensure that both production and naturalresource conservation goals are achieved. The plan incorporates practices to use animal manure as a beneficial resource for crop production. Manure and Nutrient Management Manure as Fertilizer Using manure as a crop nutrient is a practice as old as agriculture itself. Applying manure to cropland benefits crops and soil. Manure helps build the organic content in soil and improve soil moisture-holding capacity, something commercial fertilizers can’t accomplish. Environmental Stewardship 57
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