Overview
The United States is the world's third largest producer
and second largest consumer, exporter, and importer of
pork and pork products. Pork accounts for about a fourth
of domestic meat consumption, with imports accounting
for about 5 percent of that. Exports account for about
6 percent of domestic production.
The U.S. hog herd stands at nearly 60 million animals,
with about 68 percent of them in the Corn Belt area, where
they have access to that region's abundant supplies of
feed grains and soybean meal. Another 20 percent of hogs
are produced in the Southeast. ERS analyzes conditions
and events relating to the domestic and global pork markets
that influence supply, demand, trade, and prices.
Features
The Changing Economics of U.S. Hog Production documents the increasing size and specialization of U.S. hog operations during the last 15 years. Large operations that specialize in a single production phase and produce under contract have replaced traditional farrow-to-finish operations. These structural changes have coincided with substantial gains in efficiency and lower production costs, most of which are attributed to increases in scale of production and technological innovation. For an Amber Waves article on this topic, see Technology, Larger Farm Size Increased Productivity on U.S. Hog Farms.
Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
Outlook provides a monthly analysis of current developments
in the livestock and poultry industry, providing data
on animal numbers, meat and egg production, prices, trade,
and net returns. Pork is a featured commodity in January,
April, July, and October.
Recommended Readings
Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Hog Farms, 2004 describes an industry characterized by wide variation in the type, size, and economic performance of operations during 2004. Operations specializing in a single production phase generated more than three times the product value, on average, of those using the farrow-to-finish approach. Small and medium hog operations far outnumbered large and very large operations, but the latter accounted for most of the hog production.
Factors
Affecting U.S. Pork Consumption analyzes pork consumption
across different U.S. market channels, geographic regions,
and population groups. Pork ranks third in annual U.S.
meat consumption, behind beef and chicken, averaging 51
pounds per person. Most pork is consumed at home, and
rural individuals eat more than their urban/suburban counterparts.
Pork consumption also varies by race, ethnicity, and income
level.
Market Integration
in the North American Hog Industries reports that
about 8 percent of the hogs slaughtered in the United
States in 2004 will originate in Canada, many more than
10 years ago. Canadian hogs have flowed into the United
States in response to significant structural changes in
the U.S. pork industry, policy changes in Canada, and
a strong U.S./Canadian dollar exchange rate. For an Amber
Waves article on this topic, see U.S.-Canadian
Hog Trade: Market Integration at Work.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Retail scanner prices for
meat provides information about monthly average retail
price data for selected cuts of beef, pork, poultry, lamb,
and veal, based on electronic supermarket scanner data.
Livestock and Meat Trade Data contains monthly and annual data for imports and exports of live cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats, as well as beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, chicken meat, turkey meat, and eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Data on beef and veal, pork, and lamb and mutton are on a carcass-weight-equivalent basis. Breakdowns by country are included.
Meat Price Spreads
contains data on retail, wholesale, and farm values for
pork and the price spreads for these values, as well as
information on average U.S. prices of some retail pork
cuts.
Red
Meat Yearbook presents monthly, quarterly, and annual
data on commercial livestock slaughter and meat production;
livestock and meat prices and price indexes; inventories
of cattle, hogs, and sheep; and meat supply and utilization.
Given the revised, higher estimates of U.S. population
from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce,
USDA estimates of per capita consumption values for food
products are lower than previously reported. According
to the new population estimates, the U.S. population for
2001 is about 3 percent larger than earlier thought. Per
capita consumption data for red meat and poultry through
2001 are found in revised supply
and utilization tables.
Hog Costs
and Returns includes hog costs and returns estimates
for the most recent 2 years. The data are collected in
a national survey of hog producers as part of USDA's Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS).
Foreign Agricultural Trade of
the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural
exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by
commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month,
for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989
to the present. Updated monthly or annually.
Production,
Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official
USDA data on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural
commodities for the United States and major importing
and exporting countries. The database provides projections
for the coming year and historical data for more than
200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and
forest products.
Related Briefing Rooms
Animal Production
and Marketing Issues
Agricultural Baseline Projections
Conservation
Policy
Environmental Interactions with Agricultural Production
Food CPI,
Prices, and Expenditures
Farm Income and Costs
Food Market
System in the U.S.
Global Resources
and Productivity
Canada
Mexico
North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA)
Related Links
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) hogs
and pork page contains links to publications, charts,
and information on international trade. Of particular
interest is Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and
Trade.
National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) provides data on inventories,
production, stocks, balance sheets, and prices by State
and nationally, as well as commodity-specific reports.
Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) provides current cash grain and livestock
prices, and market news.
See all related links...
|
