# Why hog prices will be pressured in the second half: USDA

> USDA's Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook says slower processor demand for hogs, soft domestic pork demand and Mexican tariff adjustments will weigh on second-half hog prices. Packer margins in May averaged about $15/cwt, nearly 29% below a year earlier, and third- and fourth-quarter hog prices are forecast 19% and 17% below 2017.

- Date: 2018-06-22 · published 2018-06-22T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/64666-why-hog-prices-will-be-pressured-in-the-second-half-usda
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md), [Meat & Bone Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MBM.md)

## Why it matters

Weaker packer demand and lower hog prices reduce the value of hogs and pork, pointing to a bearish outlook for hog-based feed demand and lean hog futures in the second half.

## Read by commodity

- MBM: bearish ▼
- HOGS: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2026-10-27 | [Why such low hog prices?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/595-why-such-low-hog-prices.md) | -5.8% | — |
| HOGS | 2017-07-19 | [Higher US Hog Numbers Expected to Result in Lower Market Prices
						 \| The Pig Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4731-higher-us-hog-numbers-expected-to-result-in-lower-market-prices-the-pig-site.md) | -0.8% | -10.2% |
| HOGS | 2020-11-11 | [CME update: lean hog futures weaken as corn prices surge
						 \| The Pig Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50300-cme-update-lean-hog-futures-weaken-as-corn-prices-surge-the-pig-site.md) | -0.6% | -3.0% |
| HOGS | 2026-01-20 | [USDA sees 2026 pork production rising to 28.2 billion pounds as hog prices slip \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21199-usda-sees-2026-pork-production-rising-to-28-2-billion-pounds-as-hog-prices-slip.md) | +1.2% | +2.0% |
| HOGS | 2017-09-26 | [Can U.S. sustain good hog prices?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/69091-can-u-s-sustain-good-hog-prices.md) | -1.2% | +11.2% |

## Sources

- meatingplace.com: https://meatingplace.com/why-hog-prices-will-be-pressured-in-the-second-half-usda/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.