I’m writing this weeks blog from the McDonald’s in Worthington. I was a speaker at the Nebraska Pork Producer annual meeting yesterday and the latest snow storm is preventing me from completing my journey home. Highways in southern Minnesota are closed once again and deliveries of market pigs and movements of weaned pigs are disrupted. The winter weather in the upper Midwest has made it tough for the market watchers among us to get a really good handle on the supply of pigs coming to market. Was the USDA correct or did they over/under count on the December 1 inventory? Read More...

It appears that this summer we are heading towards tight soybean meal supplies, similar to the situation last summer. Every time USDA estimates year end carry-out, the number seems to get lower. Of course this potential tightening of supply is showing up in the market already with an almost $2.50/bu drop in price between current bids and new crop bids. Soybean meal for the summer months is trading at $420-450 per ton while October meal is at $350 per ton. Read More...

By now users of propane in the upper Midwest have experienced sticker shock. So far I haven’t heard of any production site that failed to receive propane when needed but I have heard of very high prices, prepay deliveries only, partial fills only, etc.  Read More...

I’m writing this blog on Tuesday morning just prior to heading out for the Illinois Pork Congress in Peoria where I am on the program tomorrow. Once again a winter storm is passing south of Minnesota and covering the central portions of the corn belt with snow to be followed by cold temperatures. Read More...