U.S. pork exports, which are off to a strong start in 2017, are likely to remain robust for at least the remainder of the year, said Dermot Hayes, an Iowa State University (ISU) economist. That’s good news for pig farmers, he said, because the exports are a big part of a strong market even as the domestic pork supply rises.

"Exports are really the main thing driving the price strength we’ve been seeing this year," Hayes said at a seminar during the 2017 World Pork Expo held last week in Des Moines. "Slaughter weights are not a lot different, and domestic de­­mand is not rising that much, but exports are."

For...