Purdue University Ag Economist Chris Hurt expects retail pork prices to continue increasing to record highs this summer. However – Hurt also expects those increases to level off in the fall and then move lower into the winter as producers increase production. Producer profits were at a record high near 70-dollars per head during the second quarter of this year – but Hurt says third quarter profits should exceed that record and be around 90-dollars per head.
If producers begin expanding their herd – and PEDv is better controlled – Hurt says pork supplies can begin to grow next spring by four to six-percent in the last three quarters of 2015. As supplies build – he says more record-high retail pork prices can be expected in the second half of next year.