Pork production in the United States rose 2.5 percent in 2017, and pork prices were up 10 percent. Chris Hurt, from the department of agricultural economics at Purdue University, says hog prices are expected to increase again this year.

“For 2018, we once again ask if hog prices can be higher with a 3.5 percent increase in supply and with sizable increases in competitive meats as well. The lean hog futures market is currently saying, ‘Yes!,’” he said last week.

He says a strong world economy, low...