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Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Pork belly futures a thing of the past

Monday, October 3, 2011

The mid-July notice from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was simple and terse.
"Because of a prolonged lack of trading volume and after significant discussion with industry participants, CME will be delisting Frozen Pork Bellies Futures and Options effective Monday July 18, 2011."

According to Minyanville Media, which reports on commodity trading, pork belly trading, which celebrated its 50th birthday this year, was the most recognized and glamorous of the commodity trading contracts. Pork bellies, frozen in the winter when demand was low, were thawed in the summer to meet the high demand when bacon and tomato sandwiches were peaking. The seasonal demand produced a need to hedge against higher prices. A single contract consisted of 40,000 pounds of frozen trimmed bellies from which bacon was made.

Minyanville said trading in hog bellies declined for a number of reasons. The packing industry has switched to fixed price contracting. A few huge companies producing both pigs and bacon dominate. On top of that, demand is no longer seasonal, with hamburger chains adding bacon to make their sandwiches more palatable. BP
 

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February 2026

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Farms.com Swine News

OPP Wrangle Runaway Horses

Monday, February 16, 2026

Earlier this month, Lambton County residents saw a bit of unexpected horsepower trotting through Enniskillen Township—minus the engine. According to OPP West Region, officers were called out to rescue a loose horse that had taken itself on a brisk winter outing. Under the... Read this article online

Recall against Alberta ag minister likely to fail

Thursday, February 12, 2026

The recall against Alberta’s minister of agriculture is likely to fail. With only nine days remaining to collect signatures, organizers in Minister RJ Sigurdson’s riding of Highwood have only secured 807 of the 15,788 (5.1 per cent) signatures required to recall the minister, according to... Read this article online

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Health officials in Manitoba are asking anyone who attended Ag Days in Brandon and the surrounding area to monitor symptoms of measles. “Possible exposures may have occurred in the city on the event days, on the days leading up to it and the days following it…,” Manitoba Health said in a... Read this article online

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