Last week I was on the program for the Western Nutrition Conference in Winnipeg. Much of the meeting dealt with such topics as the intestinal tract biomass, how enzymes can improve availability of nutrients, standardized ileal digestible phosphorus and application … Continue reading
Last Friday’s hogs and pigs report showed the largest US inventory of pigs on record at 68.395 million pigs. While this sounds like a lot of pigs (and it is), it is still fewer pigs than the recent reduction in … Continue reading
It’s 7 am on Friday morning in Xiamen City, China and my most recent trip to China is rapidly coming to an end. I am scheduled to visit a swine farm today. I have no idea if I will see … Continue reading
I’m writing this week’s thoughts as I sit in the MSP airport on my way to China. I will be working with the US Soybean Export Council and Chinese pork industry people on this trip. Some of the attendees at … Continue reading
In the upper Midwest, grain producers are preparing for bin-busting yields. For many corn growers, this means getting as much storage capacity cleared on-farm as possible to avoid harvest delays because of long lines at country elevators. This means quite … Continue reading
This past week I’ve been working on a presentation for the China Swine Science Conference in Xiamen, China on September 17-20. My topic – optimal farm size for profit in pig farming. Talk about a challenge. While somewhat limited, the … Continue reading
Pit pumping has begun in areas with small grains such as oats, barley and wheat. In corn-soy country producers are monitoring pit depth in anticipation of soybean harvest beginning in 6-7 weeks. With this in mind, I’ve had some inquiries … Continue reading
As I slowly return to the world of pork production following the loss of my wife on June 21, I find that my priorities aren’t quite the same as they once were. Some of that is driven by family demands. … Continue reading
I’ve spent the majority of this week in barns doing ventilation (and feeder/drinker) reviews of both new construction, 1-2 year old facilities and 40 year old facilities. It’s amazing to me that the same common mistakes keep showing up. While … Continue reading
After last week’s USDA WASDE grain report, the desire for producers to expand pork production took another step backwards. What started as a year where many expected feed grain prices to remain relatively low is rapidly turning into a year … Continue reading