Hog Management
The numbers were up at the 2024 Illinois Pork Expo in Springfield, Ill., this week. Here is a quick look at some of the insightful things we heard at the event in case you missed it.
“We want to make sure that we take every idea, that we take every concern back to the team and to the board of directors to be able to turn over every rock,” says NPPC’s Cody McKinley.
“Things are looking better, but not good,” Ever.Ag chief livestock economist Steve Meyer said about the pork outlook. “The question is, will things get better enough to get you in the black?”
No one would argue the character Rocky had a lot of ups and downs in his life. IPPA’s Executive Director Jennifer Tirey said it reminds her of what hog farmers have been going through, especially the last couple years.
In the “Supporting Farm Operations Act,” U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar (MI-02) introduced calling for a two-year freeze on the adverse effect wage rate for H-2A nonimmigrant workers, at 2023 levels.
Use the topics and tools included in The DIRTT Project to jump-start the succession planning process for your operation whether you are just beginning or need to get on track.
The hallway chatter is what makes events like the Iowa Pork Congress so meaningful for pig farmers. It’s those conversations that bring people back year after year to one of the industry’s largest winter shows.
This month’s Rural Mainstreet Index marks the fifth-straight month where the index has been below the growth neutral mark.
Pork processing is starting to see a turnaround, Bill Even, National Pork Board CEO, told AgriTalk guest host Michelle Rook. He opens up about the opportunities and challenges he sees ahead in 2024.
Registration is now underway for SowBridge, a 15 college and university cooperative distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars, piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues.
Celebrating a shared passion for agriculture, 13 students from eight states met at The Maschhoffs in Carlyle, Ill., for its 6th Annual Leadership Experience Externship.
Winter storms across the country have resulted in significant pork and beef supply disruptions in terms of livestock moving to processing plants as well as beef and pork moving to population centers.
Kansas State University leaders aim to help swine producers ‘persevere’ through industry’s challenges.
Ever.Ag announces its recent acquisition of PrairiE Systems and what this means for their business in the future.
Mark Faust shares objectives in seven key areas that can intensify your operation’s vision, divergence and focus.
Rena Striegel’s workshop at the upcoming Top Producer Summit will leave attendees with four main takeaways.
It was a challenging year for the pork industry, without a doubt. However, we’ve found some highlights over the past 12 months that the pork industry found particularly helpful in areas of production.
A new year brings new opportunities. But no one can deny 2024 will bring its share of challenges for pork producers. Economists encourage pork producers to consider these four important questions.
Pig farmers needed thick skin in 2023. There is no sugar coating it – 2023 was not fun. Losses were severe and red ink forecasts remain till this coming summer. As the saying goes, with challenges comes opportunity.
When talking to pork producers over this past year, Steve Malakowsky says the theme has been consistent.
When it comes to preventing a FAD at your operation, remember you are not on your own. There are three levels that must work together to achieve success.
The FFA Swine Facility Management Contest tests the knowledge of youth on issues pertaining to swine production—feed, water, air, facility management and recordkeeping.
Handling low profits means you need to manage the financial risks affecting your operation.
An analysis combining the results of 14 studies from around the globe has uncovered some common patterns in how the piglet microbiome, specifically the gut bacteria, changes over time, Purdue University reports.
The U.S. swine industry lost an estimated $299 million per year due to heat stress alone in 2003, says Jay S. Johnson, USDA-ARS researcher. If you adjust that for inflation, that’s more like $493 million per year now.
Hord Family Farms of Bucyrus, Ohio, completed its acquisition of the assets of New Horizon Farms, a farrow-to-finish swine operation in Pipestone, Minn.
Management of swine manure demands constant attention. As manure pumping and application continue, safety and effective treatment strategies are essential to address the rising concern of swine manure foaming on farms.
Two new decision tool spreadsheets are now available to help producers analyze cost of mortality.
It’s not easy to be an award-winning FFA advisor, but Riley Hintzsche of Streator Township High School in Illinois, makes it look that way. Here’s one of his secrets and how that’s making an impact on the pork industry.
Innovation is sometimes a producer’s choice, and sometimes it’s a necessity precipitated by government or practices imposed by customers. Either way, there are essential components of your farm you should review.