At the end of September, there was just under 41 million pounds of pork bellies in storage, 34% above a year ago and the highest since 1971.

Although still held back by China’s retaliatory duties, China/Hong Kong was the largest destination for U.S. pork in August at 63,656 mt, more than tripling the August 2018 volume.

The average pigs saved per litter was a record high of 11.11, 3.76% larger than last year for the June-August period.

Purchase information from eastern and western Corn Belt and Iowa-Minnesota combined in single report.

The combination of a 0.6% increase in farrowings and a 2.6% increase in litter size yields a summer pig crop that is 3.2% larger than last year. This means winter hog slaughter is also likely to be up 3.2%, more or less.

China's pork producers and consumers shifting habits in reaction to African swine fever outbreak.

Although held back by China’s retaliatory duties on U.S. pork, exports to China/Hong Kong contributed mightily to the July volume and value records.

Despite retaliatory duties remaining in place, June also brought an encouraging rise in pork exports to China, which were the largest in more than three years.

Report to reflect increased availability of specialty pork products due to changing consumer preferences and production practices.

For January through May, exports accounted for 25.4% of total pork production (down from 27.5%) and 22.1% for muscle cuts (down from 23.7%).