DTN Closing Livestock Comments         06/19 15:50
   Hog Contracts Lead Meat Futures Sharply Higher

   Lean hog contracts closed with new highs thanks to signs of strong pork
demand and fears of PEDV disease.

By John Harrington
DTN Livestock Analyst



GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The cash cattle trade was not tested Wednesday with just a few token bids of
$116 evident in parts of the South. Asking prices held firm at $122-plus in the
South and $195-plus in the North. Significant trade volume will probably not
surface until sometime Friday. According to the closing report, the Iowa hog
base closed $1.48 higher compared with the Prior Day settlement
($89.50-$103.00, weighted average $101.24). Corn futures closed higher: July up
9, September up 21, December up 20, March up 20.