Marketing-Communications
It’s no surprise the 2012 drought left pork producers with short, and expensive, feed supplies. The pork sector will not see much relief until mid-2013.
United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2012 was 65.8 million head.
Drought and the impact on feed prices may be on the verge of creating a financial disaster for the pork industry and other livestock species.
Higher than expected slaughter, heavy carcass weights and soft demand has dampened the normal spring hog price rally.
A combination of factors has resulted in a disappointing period of financial losses this spring and summer for hog producers.
Margin changes effective August 5, 2012.
USDA says that 69,100 farms raised hogs last year, the same number as in 2010.
Hog production returned to profitability in 2011, but producers remain cautious about the future.
After years of struggling to earn a profit, pork producers could find themselves back in the black, says a Purdue Extension economist.
USDA is predicting 2012 pork imports and exports will be close to this year’s level.
The quarterly Hogs and Pigs report pegs the inventory of all hogs and pigs on Sept. 1, 2011, at 66.6 million head.
Pork producers are maintaining the size of the breeding herd in the face of a very uncertain financial outlook.
Pork prices are on the rise as international exports increase and high feed costs are passed on to consumers.
The highest hog prices on record will soon be arriving, said a Purdue University Extension economist.
Hog producers have been feeling the bite of losses once again this fall, but there is reason for some optimism.
Hog producers report they have 2% fewer animals in the breeding herd than a year ago.
In May, live hog prices averaged about $63 per live cwt.
There’s an old adage among farmers in the Midwest that says when corn is cheap you have to “walk it to market.”
The last few weeks have shown a roller-coaster of a ride with the 50-day Moving Average. Worried about marketing your crops and livestock this year? Read Bill Biedermann’s column to gain insight on how this year’s corn, soybean and wheat crops, along with hogs and cattle, could play out in the market.
The initial market reaction to the USDA’s announcement that the H1N1 flu virus was found in Minnesota hogs appears to be minimal to nil.
There is encouraging news in USDA’s June 26 Hogs and Pigs report. Listen to two experts’ commentary on the report.
As Top Producer Editor, the favorite part of my job is visiting farmers across the country.
Total red meat production for 2013 and 2014 is down from December estimates.
Russia will ban billions of dollars worth of food imports from the U.S. and other nations in retaliation for sanctions over the turmoil in Ukraine.
December corn rose 1.25 cents to 4.32 a bushel.
As corn futures plunged after USDA reported surprisingly high stocks, analysts wondered what livestock and poultry have been eating in place of corn.