Sometimes a topic comes up that doesn’t fit my sort-of weekly writing schedule. Yesterday I had a field person for a contract production system ask about emergency drop curtains on a double-wide tunnel barn. The curtains had been ‘ruined’ by … Continue reading
Will it ever warm up and dry up? That is the common question being asked across the upper Midwest this past week. While the recent rains have been welcome in the western regions of the corn belt, much of the … Continue reading
One of my daughters works at a regional bank and manages the behind the scenes software that the bank has begun using for all of its customer service activities. With the purchase of this software, her job includes getting all … Continue reading
I spent time this week thinking about the housing and equipment needs of pigs as we take them to heavier slaughter weights. One item I reviewed was a history of US production averages. In 1987 Swine Graphics grow-finish cooperators grew … Continue reading
Every year about this time I begin commenting on preparations for summer heat relief in grow-finish facilities. Today it is a little tougher to think about summer when parts of Minnesota had up to 20 inches of snow in the … Continue reading
With profits returning to the hog industry, producers with older facilities are making plans for repairs this coming summer season. I’ve talked with a number of producers this past week who have older curtain sided finishing barns who are planning … Continue reading
With high temperatures predicted to be in the mid-70’s tomorrow in Southern Minnesota, many pork producers will be unprepared for change from winter to summer conditions. Fortunately, while the ventilation systems may not be fully prepped for their summer cycles, … Continue reading
It has been a quiet week in my swine consulting business. As a result, I’ve had time to catch up on some of my reading of recently published scientific papers and conference proceedings. One paper that caught my eye was … Continue reading
By now you’ve most likely read several commentaries on the accuracy of the USDA Hogs and Pigs report released last Friday afternoon. As most have suggested, while USDA numbers showed an impact of the PEDv on inventory numbers, did they … Continue reading
Many readers of this blog are not involved in the daily sales and pricing activities of the US pork industry. While they are aware of reports of very high prices, I thought I would put the recent market in perspective. … Continue reading