This past week I had an email asking for my thoughts on the future usage of DDGS in swine diets. This person has quite a few contacts in the grain and ethanol industry. The reason for his email was that it appears there is some concern about future usage rates of this co-product from the corn-based ethanol industry by US livestock producers. Read More...
Even with extreme low temperatures this past week, movement of slaughter weight pigs to slaughter plants continued. One obvious question, what about transit losses due to cold weather? I heard from a packer buyer in the upper midwest who reported no change in the number of deads in transit within their system versus last year. In fact, they were actually seeing a slight improvement in this category over last year. Read More...
With the air temperature at -18F this morning, even I will admit it is cold out there. This past week I have had several calls and conversations with pig owners and growers on what can be done to tighten up curtain sided finishers. Several specifically asked about what can be done to help with the propane bill during placement in wean-finish curtain sided facilities in weather such as we’re experiencing in Minnesota this week. Read More...
On Tuesday afternoon, the USDA released the December 1 Hogs and Pigs report. While most look to the report for guidance on market price implications, I find the reports fascinating for their tales of the structure an location of the US production base. Read More...