Immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, hog prices advanced $2.50 per cwt. Pork prices rose 2-5 cents per pound. Secretary of Agriculture Wallace warned farmers to move cautiously in expanding production. The National Provisioner predicted that pork imports from Poland and other northern European countries could cease. For the first time in history, pork imports had exceeded exports during 1937.
Moreover, war’s ferocity provoked fear and suspicion during World War II, and meat plants were forced to deal with the very real possibility of sabotage and enemy air raids. This magazine in 1942 published a report advising packers on how to guard their plants during war.