Weak pork prices require cut-specific purchasing rather than blanket stockbuilding

The U.S. pork market enters November under simultaneous pressure on hogs, slaughter, and raw-material values. Pork Checkoff’s market report attributes the recent price decline to seasonally larger supplies, weak demand, and processors’ limited willingness to expand inventories. The reasons are not only commercial: shelf life, financing costs, and uncertainty around spring demand reduce the incentive to hold more product.