Over the summer, retail pork prices reached record highs, and experts believe they are expected to remain high into the holidays.
Experts from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced that average retail pork prices hit $5.01 per pound in July.
Recommended Videos
This mark was the highest point from 2025 and up from $4.92 per pound a year ago, said David Anderson, Ph.D., livestock and food marketing economist at Texas A&M.
“Supplies remain tight as U.S. pork production has edged lower due to reduced sow numbers, despite gains in productivity per litter,” Anderson said. “Consumers should expect higher prices this fall because production is about the same as last year... Without more production, prices are going to stay high.”
While Texas is not among the nation’s top pork-producing states, its industry serves both commercial and niche markets throughout the United States.
Although there is a major pork producing plant in the Texas Panhandle, most of the state’s production capacity is small compared to Midwest states, Texas A&M experts said.
Texas also has a unique $50 million-a-year show pig industry that supports thousands of youths raising animals for major stock shows. Many of these animals eventually enter the food chain, and breeding gilts help sustain herds.