28/08/2025
Retail pork prices hit record high levels this summer and are expected to remain elevated heading into the holiday season, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts said.
In July, average retail pork prices reached the highest point of the year, $5.01 per pound, up from $4.92 a year ago, said David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock and food marketing economist and professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
“Supplies remain tight as U.S. pork production has edged lower due to reduced sow numbers, despite gains in productivity per litter,” he said. “Consumers should expect higher prices this fall because production is about the same as last year and we’re not seeing expansion in the herd. “Without more production, prices are going to stay high.”
Pork continues to provide consumer value
Wholesale prices for several key cuts, including hams, pork bellies and trimmings used for sausage are well above year-ago levels, Anderson said.
However, pork loins are a relative bargain at $1.13 per pound wholesale, compared to $1.26 a year ago. Seasonal shifts in consumer demand also shape the market, with ribs and shoulders popular for summer grilling while hams gain momentum in the fall and winter holidays.
Despite the record high prices, Davey Griffin, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension meat specialist and professor in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station, said pork remains a competitively priced protein when compared to beef and poultry.
Packers and retailers are already booking hams for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with bellies and the bacon market they supply, continuing to hold strong demand, he said.
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