The U.S. pork industry could be heading for higher hog prices as processing plants come on line at an unprecedented rate with packers investing millions of dollars to satisfy the appetite of protein-hungry China, industry analysts said.
No new plants have been built in the United States since 2004 and there have never been more than two built within a 12-month period, according to Meyer.
Analysts said the industry is playing catch-up after losing several plants during the late 1990s and early 2000. The loss of capacity is causing bottlenecks, as record numbers of hogs head for slaughter in the industry that last year posted revenue at the farm level of $21 billion. read more – http://bit.ly/29XPWnS