Lean Hog Futures Lower

February lean hogs are trading at 65.42, down 0.17 cents/lb. April lean hogs are trading at 69.05, down 0.45 cents/lb. June lean hogs are trading at 77.70, down 0.55 cents/lb Lean hog futures are trading mostly lower just after the open. Trading is rangebound. Market talk about cash hog and product prices along with weather impacts on consumer demand is making the rounds. Wednesday's USDA estimated hog slaughter was 439,000 head , the total for the week is now 1,290,000 head versus 1,861,000 head a year ago. Weekly average weights for Iowa-Southern Minnesota as of January 7th were at 282.5 pounds, up from 282.1 the previous week and down from 286.3 pounds last year. Chatter that weights normally move down during this time of the year has led to some limited selling.