This week I was with 2 different clients who were in the weaned pig market. Both were looking to sell excess pigs from sow units in which they are invested. Both reported the best bid they could get from several … Continue reading
While there has been almost no field work done in Southern Minnesota this spring, in my travels the past few weeks, I’ve seen corn planted in Illinois and today as far north as Humboldt, Iowa. Along with corn planting, many … Continue reading
I don’t think that many of us involved in the swine industry as advisors, contract growers, etc. really appreciate the new financing needs of the swine industry as we use $7 corn and $360 soybean meal, etc. This really came … Continue reading
If you followed regional market prices this past week, you should have noted that the eastern cornbelt price quote was generally higher than the western cornbelt or Iowa/Minnesota quote. The Friday 1:30 report this past week quoted the Eastern cornbelt … Continue reading
Pork production continues to migrate back to its roots in the Midwest corn belt. As many readers of this blog are aware, I track changes in the structure of the US industry by tracking what % of the total US … Continue reading
While the temperature in Mankato, MN is only 31F this afternoon and we’ve still got a lot of snow and water to get rid of, summer will come to the upper Midwest in the coming months. Summer in the pork … Continue reading
This past week I was asked for management items that contract growers should be aware of as we manage for high feed costs going into summer weather. Of course the obvious item is correct feeder adjustment, something that will always … Continue reading
In the next few weeks I will be speaking at quite a few producer and contract grower meetings in the upper Midwest. At each meeting, I’ve been asked to talk about something related to production efficiencies and high feed costs. … Continue reading
While I normally write about the pork industry around the world in this blog, this week I once again want to take a moment to reflect on recent events in my life. Many of you have commented in the past … Continue reading
In the coming week, USDA will be sampling the US inventory for its March 1 Hogs and Pigs report that will be released in late March. Everyone will be looking at the kept for market category as it predicts future … Continue reading