Last Friday’s USDA Hogs and Pigs report caught many by surprise with both the magnitude of corrections to previous reports and the size of the current inventory. US producers reported a December 1, 2016 inventory of 65,410,000 pigs. This is … Continue reading
This morning I’m working on a presentation to be delivered via webinar to pork producers in Taiwan later this week. Among the items the sponsors asked me to address was the issue of why North America and Europe producers have … Continue reading
I just looked at my outdoor thermometer and it was registering -8F (-22C). This means supplemental heaters are operating in many swine facilities in the upper Midwest. I can also safely assume that many of these heaters are consuming more … Continue reading
So far this fall, we’ve been able to remain current in our slaughter of pigs. Based on carcass weights as reported in the daily mandatory report (LM_HG201) it appears that producers have been very aggressive in pulling pigs forward, rather … Continue reading
As I write this week’s blog, snow is just beginning to fall in the Manakto, MN area, the first snow of the year. Schools west of here have been closing and they are advising no travel in southwest Minnesota due … Continue reading
This week I’m off to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to speak at Saskatchewan Pork’s Annual meeting. While their overall industry size is smaller than the major US producing states, they do see pork production as a viable contributor to their rural economy. … Continue reading
This week the USDA reported Iowa/Southern Minnesota barrow and gilt live weight for last week declined 0.9 lb to 280.9 lb. This was after 3 weeks of only modest weight gains per week. Looking at this data many are asking … Continue reading
On January 1 US producers and their veterinarians will be entering a new era for use of a variety of antimicrobials that have been routinely used in both swine diets and in drinking water. VFD’s (veterinary feed directives) will be … Continue reading
With a light frost once again, I’m reminded this morning that colder weather is coming. With colder weather comes a reduction in the ventilation rates of our facilities as we need to exchange less air to remove the same amount … Continue reading
With it finally becoming dry enough for grain producers to aggressively harvest both corn and soybeans, the fall application of swine manure to the harvested fields has begun. The ‘smell of money’ was evident in Mankato this weekend, even with … Continue reading