The amount of pork in cold storage at the end of September was up 11 per cent from the month before and up 16 per cent from a year ago. There is a growing correlation between stocks of frozen pork and pork exports. During the first eight months of 2011 pork exports were up 18.7 per cent.

Chinese hog producers are battling several disease problems including food and mouth disease. Chinese pork prices are very high, which is boosting their pork imports. USDA is predicting China will import one-third more pork this year than last.

USDA's Thursday afternoon calculated pork cut-out value was $97.02/cwt, down $2.38 from the previous Thursday. Loins, butts and bellies were lower. Ham prices were higher.

Hog prices dropped this week. The national average negotiated carcass price for direct delivered hogs on the morning report today was $87.35/cwt, down $3.72 from last Friday. The Friday morning price report for the western corn belt was $87.88/cwt. There were not enough early morning sales in Iowa-Minnesota for a price quote. Eastern corn belt hogs averaged $87.11 this morning. Friday's top live hog price at Peoria was $59/cwt. Zumbrota's top was $61/cwt. The top for interior Missouri live hogs was $64.50/cwt, down $1.50 from the previous Friday.

Both pork cut-out and hog prices have been remarkably high this fall. The normal season pattern is for a 15 per cent drop in pork cut-out from early September to late October. This week's hog prices and pork cut-out value are both higher than in early September.

Hog slaughter totalled 2.306 million head this week, down 0.7 per cent from the week before and down 0.2 per cent compared to the same week last year. This is the second consecutive week with hog slaughter below a year ago. The September inventory survey indicated daily hog slaughter should average be up a bit less than 1 per cent during the fourth quarter.

Barrow and gilt carcass weights for the week ending 15 October averaged 202 pounds, unchanged from the week before and down one pound from a year ago. Iowa-Minnesota live weights for barrows and gilts last week averaged 273.3 pounds, up one pound from the week before but down two pounds compared to last year. Perhaps the strong hog prices this fall have helped keep hog marketings very current.

Today's close for the December lean hog futures contract, $86.67/cwt, was down $2.98 from last Friday. The February lean hog futures contract settled at $89.90/cwt, down $2.12 from the previous Friday. April lost $2.50 this week to settle at $92.25/cwt.