As frequent readers of the blog are aware, I have an interest in the structure of the pig industry world wide. Such things as what countries are major producers of pork, trends in their production numbers, etc. The US is … Continue reading →

For the past 10 days I’ve been looking at temperatures and associated controller settings from data loggers that were placed in producer facilities in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio in preparation for a series of ventilation workshops next week. We’ve done … Continue reading →

It’s 63 F degrees outside this afternoon and I think every combine in the state of Minnesota is being used to harvest corn and soybeans. What a difference in attitude Indian Summer brings, especially when it arrives this late in … Continue reading →

I spent 4 days this week in 2 2500 sow breed-to-wean units ear tagging 5 day old pigs on their birth litters as part of an upcoming research project. I don’t normally spend much time in sow units, other than … Continue reading →

The long and dreary harvest season, when combined with the continued lack of optimism for next summers hog market has many of the readers of this blog concerned about their future in agriculture. I thought I use this week’s blog … Continue reading →

It’s Monday afternoon and I’ve delayed writing this weekend’s blog due to a hectic schedule of telephone calls on Friday. A majority of the calls were related to the many foaming issues many producers in the upper Midwest are reporting … Continue reading →

With predictions of another week of wet weather in the upper Midwest, harvest of corn and soybeans will lag even further behind the 5 year average. In conversations with producers, I’m hearing reports of stalk rot and other stand problems. … Continue reading →

For many years, following the release of the quarterly USDA hogs and pigs report I write a commentary on the changing structure of the US industry as documented by the numbers in these reports. This commentary is circulated via email … Continue reading →

In the past 3-4 weeks I’ve given presentations to producers and their advisors at meetings in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota. At each of these sessions I’ve included a discussion of ventilation management strategies to reduce the likelihood of pig … Continue reading →

On Wednesday of this week I was a speaker at the Midwest Pork Conference in Indiana, sponsored by the Indiana Pork Producers. In spite of tough current economic conditions, attendance at the meeting was surprisingly good. I spoke with several … Continue reading →