Pork producers are continuing to bounce back from one of their toughest years ever in 2023, and are hopeful this year will continue to see profitable returns. Roy Lee Lindsey, CEO of the North Carolina Pork Council, says producers lost more per head in ’23 than the previous record low in 1998, but they’ve turned the corner since then.
“We’ve seen that rebound a little bit. We think that ‘24 was a pretty good year, was better, anyway. ‘25 was much better. We’re having an opportunity maybe to put some money back in and fill some of that hole that ‘23 created.”
So what about 2026? Lindsey is optimistic.
“It looks like, based on what the markets are telling us right now, ‘26 should be a pretty good year. Exports have remained fairly steady with 25-26% of our product going overseas, and that’s critical for us, right? Most of what we sell overseas is not products that we would consume here. So that always adds to our bottom line.”
Lindsey adds it will depend on finding balance between the hog and grains markets that will determine how much of the year will go.