Even with extreme low temperatures this past week, movement of slaughter weight pigs to slaughter plants continued. One obvious question, what about transit losses due to cold weather? I heard from a packer buyer in the upper midwest who reported … Continue reading →

With the air temperature at -18F this morning, even I will admit it is cold out there. This past week I have had several calls and conversations with pig owners and growers on what can be done to tighten up … Continue reading →

           On Tuesday afternoon, the USDA released the December 1 Hogs and Pigs report. While most look to the report for guidance on market price implications, I find the reports fascinating for their tales of the structure an location of … Continue reading →

In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked repeatedly for my thoughts on the profitability of the US swine industry in 2009. The reason for the question is the large amount of uncertainty in the outlook for the many variables … Continue reading →

I’ve been involved in many behind the scenes work on the issues of swine facilities in rural communities. As I’ve worked with various public policy groups and ag commodity groups, there are 2 statements that often arise as we discuss … Continue reading →

With carcass bids still languishing in the $53-54/cwt range in the US, I thought it would be fun to take a look at current market prices for slaughter pigs in Europe. The following data was compiled by Feedinfo News Service … Continue reading →

As I write this week’s comments, I am still basking in the glow of a Thanksgiving Day spent with family. Yesterday morning I began the holiday by attending church services. When I was on the faculty at the University of … Continue reading →

I spent part of today working on a presentation I will be doing next month in Indianapolis. The topic is ‘The Next Generation of Production Systems’. As I worked on this topic, I thought about how the world of pork … Continue reading →

This week I have had calls and conversations with producers from several locations in the Midwest regarding pits foaming thru the slats. While I’ve had an occasional call or conversation with a producer regarding the phenomenon in past years, the … Continue reading →

Last week Statistics Canada released its estimates of the October 1 Canadian pig inventory. At the same time, USDA and Statistics Canada released a joint report estimating the combined inventories using the September 1, 2008 USDA estimates for US inventories. … Continue reading →