Another day in southern Minnesota with a heat index above 100F and dew points in the mid 70’s. The impact of this extended heat on livestock have been many and will shadow us into next year. This past week I … Continue reading →

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the difficulties of sourcing corn for diets in late August and September. The problem continues to grow. The Farmers Coop Society in Sioux Center, IA is now bidding +$0.30 for August delivery … Continue reading →

When the dew point is 78F at 6 am, you know it’s going to be a miserable day in the upper Midwest. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a miserable week. It’s too late this year to begin thinking about how … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s USDA acreage and stocks report is still sending tremors across the country. Maybe one of the most un-talked about consequence of two days of near limit down moves in the corn market is the difficulty of feed mills in … Continue reading →

When crop producers wished for summer heat to push corn and soybean crops along, they didn’t have our current weather as their goal. For grain farmers in the upper Midwest, there is enough moisture from all of the June rains … Continue reading →

On January 4, 2011, President Obama signed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This legislation gives FDA new responsibilities and powers in the prevention of food safety risks to American consumers. I’m sure few of … Continue reading →

Last week was a busy week for me. I started the week walking producer barns in central Iowa with a client. Feeder issues were a dominant topic at many of the sites. With corn flirting with $8/bu on the board … Continue reading →

Is the basic information necessary for successful pork production or even agricultural production in general becoming private? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. And this yes grew larger this week as the US House Appropriations Committee recommended a 20% cut in … Continue reading →

When was the last time you had an insurance review of your swine facilities? I thought of this today after stepping into 1” of water in my basement on my way to my office early this morning. We had a … Continue reading →

This past week I was reminded by an equipment supplier to the swine industry of an on-going conversation that he and I have been having regarding maintenance schedules of equipment installed in swine facilities. When we purchase cars, trucks or … Continue reading →