The Power of knowledge

Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

Benchmark Magazine is published each spring to highlight the annual results of PigCHAMP's Benchmarking program, and to feature news, commentary and articles of interest written by pork industry experts.

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2025

2025 Global Pork Outlook & Forecast

The 2025 global pork production is expected to grow by one percent thanks to a recovery from ASF. Animal diseases like ASF in China and PRRS virus in North America continue to remain a headwind for further gains in global hog production.

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2021

Will Chinese Demand or Soaring Feed Costs be the next “Black Swan” Event for Hog Values?

Early 2021 witnessed a “perfect storm” brewing in the U.S. hog industry as a marketing whole (less supplies in 2021 at -3.4% vs. last year) due to higher diseases (PRRS/PEDV in Iowa/Minnesota), strong global demand (driven by China) and domestic demand (driven by U.S. stimulus cheques in 2020/21) , higher feed costs, and the pent-up pandemic-recovery demand has resulted in soaring U.S. pork cutout values and futures, which are higher year-on-year (Y/Y) by +90% and +56%, respectively.


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2019

It's Time to End Trade Disputes

Retaliatory tariffs from major U.S. trading partners are wreaking havoc with American agriculture and other sectors of the U.S. economy. Pork producers have taken a big financial hit because of punitive duties on their products.

The U.S. pork industry now is on three retaliation lists: two from China and one from Mexico.


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