It’s currently raining in southern Minnesota while it is beginning to snow in northern Minnesota, which means the snow piles are rapidly shrinking and we are finally losing some of the ice on our county roads. All of this before we get another 2-4” of snow in the next 2 days. The rain is also helping remove snow from rooftops, easing the stress on rafters from the very heavy loads accumulated in the past 6 weeks. Read More...
This past week I was a speaker at the Passion for Pigs conference and tradeshow in Columbia, Missouri. While freezing rain in the region reduced attendance somewhat, a good crowd was still present. After spending time with exhibitors and producers I have the following thoughts: Read More...
As I write this week’s comments, blizzard warnings are in effect for this region. While it may be cold and miserable outside, the feeder pig market in the US is looking up. The highest reported price paid for weaned pigs in this week’s USDA report was $51.51/pig, the highest price reported since the last week of April. Given there is a 5 month period before pigs placed this week go to market, this means producers are increasingly optimistic about the late spring and summer markets. Read More...
At a producer meeting in northwest Iowa yesterday, Steve Pohl and I got into a discussion with the audience about bubble wrap versus 6 mil poly to tighten up curtain sided finishers in cold weather. Read More...