Manitoba hog farmers sold a record 3.1 million hogs last year at prices above the five-year average.
In its annual outlook, Manitoba Agriculture sees a three percent increase in marketing for 1997, to 3.2 million hogs.
U.S. prices and the exchange rate will continue to be major factors in Manitoba hog prices.
The department sees average prices for index 100 hogs in the $150 to $170 per 100 kilogram range for this year. Last year, the average price was around $183 per 100 kg, an increase of 25 percent over the previous year.
Manitoba processors decreased slaughter levels last year. By late in the third quarter, about one third of hogs were exported to U.S. packers.
Overall, 1.08 million hogs were exported to the U.S. last year, and 50,000 went to Ontario.
The department sees slaughter plants using more of their capacity this year and expects provincial slaughter numbers to increase about 13 percent to 2.2. million head.
