Hog Production
“People sometimes refer to farmland as an investment in gold, plus a coupon,” Bruce Sherrick says. “You get a fairly low annual cash flow, fairly high long-term rates of return and tax advantages to the asset classes.”
As the cost of raising pigs increases, particularly feed and supplements, don’t forget to consider less costly available alternatives for your diets, says Casey Zangaro of Michigan State University Extension.
Do you own and manage a small swine herd operation? Many things need addressed for the needs of the pigs as the weather gets colder. Here are a few tips to ensure optimal health, welfare and productivity.
Gut check: If you sent a new auditor your standard operating procedures (SOPs), would that match what your farm employees do? Clayton Johnson, DVM, shares four auditing keys to success.
After six weeks running in the red, beef packers jumped back into positive margins after last week’s wholesale beef rally. Pork producers remain profitable.
A new cooling pad technology for hogs is coming to North America in spring 2024.
If you want to make change in the pork business, it has to be practical and executable, said Clayton Johnson, DVM, before a standing-room-only crowd at the 2023 Carthage Swine Conference.
Farm employees are a critical piece of our operation and keeping them safe should be every farm’s top priority. However, accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, especially when large equipment is involved.
The spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins narrowed modestly last week. Pork producers remain profitable.
France has obtained final approval for exporting pork to Australia, adding a new potential trade outlet for a sector that has faced fluctuating demand from top importer China.
When we consider the number of stressors wean pigs face, it’s no surprise that starting pigs in the nursery can be challenging. So, the question becomes, what can we do to help?
As extremely hot weather settles in across much of the country, proper temperature control and ventilation are essential in swine barns to help protect animals from heat stress that can compromise health and performance.
Lean hog futures for the fall, winter and spring are currently trading below breakeven levels, even when accounting for the lower grain prices. Will pork prices hold up?
For those whose livelihood depends upon working outdoors or in less than favorable conditions, this week looks to be quite difficult with higher-than-normal temperatures and humidity predicted.
What’s the mythical performance curve for net sow output? Dennis DiPietre and Lance Mulberry urge producers to think twice about the culling process. Here’s why.
For Minnesota pork producer Gordon Spronk, the hesitation is understandable, but the impact far exceeds any questions he initially had when Spronk Brothers began sharing data on their pig farm and cropping operations.
“Basically, a pig has a 3-inch environmental vacuum on the front of his face. Anything in front of it is going down. A lot of that damage goes unseen by the public eye,” says William Futch in Feral Swine in America.
Chinese pork processing giant WH Group Ltd expects hog prices in China to rise 10-20% in the second half of 2023 from the first six months, supported by stronger demand and smaller supply glut.
The swine industry’s future was once filled with optimism, expecting a turnaround that would bring back profitable times. However, the first half of 2023 has proven to be the most arduous period in the careers of many.
Austin Kings, rural crimes investigator for Missouri Highway Patrol, takes a look at how a criminal might view your farm and home—what they see that producers don’t, and how producers can prevent becoming a target.
Cattle feeders continue to gain market leverage as packers see pressure from declining wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins remain solidly in the black.
Plaintiffs in the antitrust class action lawsuit, Brown et al v. JBS USA Food Company et al, petitioned the court to dismiss their case against Triumph Foods.
U.S. experts weigh in on the world’s first commercial vaccines against African swine fever and the challenges that still exist.
Jimmy Tosh uses business scale to drive efficiency on his Tennessee operation.
Every team has one. That employee who is not contributing his or her fair share. As the boss, you must coach this employee to be an all-star — or show them the door.
Marlin Hoogland, DVM, will lead all production areas, including gene transfer centers, multiplication, gilt development, sow production, wean-to-finish, research, nutrition, feed services and production well-being.
Packers have reduced harvest and employed other tactics in an effort to regain positive margins. Pork producer margins took another step higher as lean carcass prices advance.
Here’s a look at a recent report on the U.S. susceptibility to JEV related to the availability of competent mosquito vector species, susceptible maintenance avian hosts, as well as intensive travel and trade activities.
Jim Douglas and his son, James, are navigating the joys and hurdles of succession planning.
Phones, iPads, computers, Ring doorbells, all have become a part of our lives and it’s hard to imagine life without them. Iowa State is looking at how cameras can help producers recognize sickness and behavior changes.