The $0.50/bu decline in corn prices for the March, May and July contracts the past 2 days following yesterday morning’s USDA report is the talk of Midwest agriculture. If you’re a grain seller, you’re suddenly going to make plans to … Continue reading →

Beginning this week, there will be some changes in USDA market reports, etc. I have been receiving an automated weekly link to a summary report of DDGS prices and corn:DDGS ratios every Friday. This week’s link included notice that USDA … Continue reading →

It’s Friday before New Year’s and as I work in my office, snow is falling. Winter has been late in arriving in Minnesota. How late – yesterday I saw a producer installing plastic drainage tile lines at the Iowa-Minnesota border. … Continue reading →

The spot market for weaned pigs has been at $60/pig for the past 2 weeks, a price pig sellers haven’t seen since last February and early March. This suggests a lot of optimism by producers for the late spring and … Continue reading →

Last week the average barrow and gilt slaughter weight in the Iowa and Southern Minnesota market region was 276.2 lb, the heaviest on record. Sales weights are higher for 2 reasons. The first is full slaughter schedules at all of … Continue reading →

This week has meant a lot of hospital time for me. Our daughter has been hospitalized since Tuesday with a high fever of unknown origin. Yesterday she began responding to generalized treatment (IV antibiotic) so some relief, but still concern … Continue reading →

I spent much of this week with clients reviewing winter ventilation details and evaluating temperature logs from recorders placed in barns earlier this month. In every instance, I found mistakes in controller settings that cost producers a lot of money. … Continue reading →

This week I was reviewing DDGS pricing and nutrient assays from a number of ethanol plants in southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. It was interesting to note the wide variation in grain pricing for December delivery to the various plants. … Continue reading →

Today USDA and Statistics Canada released their joint report on the combined hogs and pigs inventory of the 2 countries. This is important since our industries are so closely linked. Not only do we have similar genetics, but Canadian producers … Continue reading →

You can’t pick up a magazine associated with the pork industry without reading an optimistic story or column about the potential for profits in the coming 12 months. This optimism is now in the weaned pig market. In the past … Continue reading →