Posted on 01/30/2022 8:59:15 AM PST by blam
Bacon lovers might be in for a sizzling surprise as pork supplies in cold storage tumble to an 11-year low as prices rise due to declining hog herds.
The latest United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pork data in cold storage as of Dec. 1 was approximately 399 million pounds, a drop of 4.1% from a year ago and now at the lowest point since 2010.
"The drop came before the spreading omicron virus variant prompted slaughterhouses to slow down in recent weeks as more workers called in sick, further limiting meat production and likely keeping prices for the meat high," Bloomberg explains.
Slumping cold storage has sent USDA bacon prices per pound (as of late December) to around $7.21, a record high and up 39% since the beginning of the virus pandemic.
More importantly, what this means is breakfast is becoming a lot more expensive for Americans as some of the highest inflation in four decades has wiped out their real wage gains.
Food prices are at the highest in a decade, from coffee to oranges to wheat, among other popular breakfast items. Americans are very concerned about inflation. High inflation has spurred discontent for the president, reflected in record low polling numbers ahead of the midterms.
“London...Madrid...Bangkok.......Cincinnati!”
Venison
Damn, Howard Hesseman just passed away.
I’ve heard this was coming for a number of months now.
My freezer is stocked I tell you…stocked.
Just bought a pork butt for the typical low sale price of 99 cents. That seems as if all is normal.
He will have to do it without the help of Dr. Johnny Fever. He died yesterday.
Les Nessman will lead his award winning farm reports with this story.
He had a Silver Sow award.
I’d hope he’d get walls someday.
Oh no!
RIP Doctor Johnny Fever.
I loved WKRP.
Pork hocks make a pretty good pea soup, too, though the cost of them has also gone up a lot. Nobody ever seems to have ham shanks any more.
This is how great empires fall.
Ten bucks for a pound yesterday here on Long Island.
The first part of the story talks about dwindling herds of hogs. (Herds??)
But then it goes on to say that the slaughter houses are slow due to lack of workers.
That would keep the herds larger. For now.
As long as Biden doesn’t pull an FDR and make the farmers slaughter their hogs and leave them to rot in the fields, the market will figure it out.
The only time to buy a ham or turkey is just before Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. The stores not only have plenty on hand, they put them on sale. They'll both keep whole in the freezer for a year.
BIL drives a truck to pick up livestock for a rendering plant in Iowa. Said at the start of COVID, hog farmers were asphyxiating their pigs because there was no market. Farmers were sealing the buildings, turning up heat and pumping carbon monoxide in via vehicles. Said he had several large farms where he picked up thousands of pigs/piglets.
Right. The story doesn’t make sense. Breeding sows are on the increase, but haven’t recovered yet to Before Corona. Increased supply of slaughter hogs by summer.
China’s herd is also recovering, which will put less pressure on prices.
At BidenFlation prices of course.
Pork very cheap now. Iowa chain has boneless pork chops for <$2 pound.
I had to go to three stores for a bag of split peas yesterday. I bought the last two.
I bought a pork loin for 99¢/lb. My ShopRite has been selling Jimmy Dean bacon for $2.99 for a 12 oz pack. I have so many shopping options, it’s not hard to find what I need at a fair price. I also live about 10 miles from Hatfield, PA. In the summer you can smell the air and know they’re harvesting the pigs.
Stop eating bacon, problem solved till the prices come down. As for me, never touch pork products.
Now it’s gotten serious.
Yeah, the small processor near my farm has such a huge backlog, you have to reserve your spot 2 years in advance.
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