Last week Smithfield announced the permanent closure of the John Morrell slaughter plant in Sioux City, Iowa. At both the Minnesota Pork Congress and the Iowa Pork Congress, the Manitoba Pork Producers had a booth where they were interacting with producers on a variety of topics, including the impact of MCOOL on their industry. Read More...

Another winter storm is predicted for this weekend in the upper Midwest. By now, many producers are getting tired of winter. Between the very cold temperatures for the first few weeks of this year and the continued snow and ice accumulation, it has been a long winter. Read More...

This afternoon I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar sponsored by AgStar on the topic of world trade and the pork industry. The presenter was Brett Stuart from globalagritrends.com. Read More...

I’m writing today’s blog from a motel room at one of the casino’s in Council Bluffs, Iowa where I’m waiting for roads in southwest Minnesota to open.  Read More...