Pork futures slide; agriculture futures advance

[May 01, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Pork futures tumbled Thursday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange amid worries over the growing global swine flu outbreak. Experts say you cannot catch the disease from eating pork, but multiple countries have banned pork from swine flu-struck regions.

June lean hogs slid 2.23 cents to 64.52 cents a pound, while July pork bellies fell 0.75 cent to 75.12 cents a pound.

Meanwhile, agriculture futures mostly traded higher on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Wheat for July delivery jumped 4.5 cents to $5.365 a bushel, while July corn gained 2.25 cents to $4.035 a bushel and July soybeans advanced 30 cents to $10.55 a bushel. Oats for July delivery rose 1 cent to $2.03 a bushel.

Beef futures traded lower on the Mercantile Exchange.

June live cattle lost 0.45 cent to 82.5 cents a pound, and August feeder cattle fell 0.5 cent to 99.62 cents a pound.

[Associated Press]

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