Lean hog futures were down $1.40 to $1.65 across the front months on Thursday, as expiring August was up a tick. Preliminary open interest rose 4,523 contracts. USDA’s national base hog price was down 11 cents in the Thursday PM report, at $110.37. The CME Lean Hog Index was down 6 cents at $109.78 on August 12.
Pork export sales totaled 21,202 MT in the week ending on August 7, which was back down from last week. Japan was the top buyer of 6,500 MT, with 4,700 MT sold to Mexico. Shipments were a 3-week low at 26,989 MT. The top destination was Mexico of 13,200 MT, with 3,500 MT headed to Japan.
