Sow Management
Explore the latest news, research and practical resources pork producers need to optimize sow herd health, productivity and longevity. Stay informed on effective management strategies ranging from nutrition and reproductive performance to farrowing care and housing regulations.
Cattle feeding margins slipped further into the red last week.
A decline of $5 per cwt in cash fed cattle prices pushed cattle feeding margins $60 per head lower, leaving losses at $120 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.
The dog days of summer are here for cattle producers as red ink continues seeping into feedlot ledgers.
Last week’s $4-plus rally in cash fed cattle prices cut average feedyard losses in half, leaving the red ink totaling $90 on every animal shipped.
Cattle feeders earned a small profit on cattle sold last week, the first positive closeouts in months.
Normally when profit margins decline $50-plus per head there’s no rejoicing.
Cattle feeders earned average profits of $68 per head last week, $30 per head more than the previous week.
The red ink has started to slow down for feedlots and cattle prices have rallied lately, giving beef producers something to be thankful for.
Last week’s market rally helped feedyards erase much of their red ink, but not all.
Feedyard margins saw only slight improvement last week as direct trade prices held steady.
Feedyard margins improved last week despite a $3 per cwt. decline in cash cattle prices.
Cattle feeders turned a tidy profit for the second consecutive week.
Cowboys and packers finished 2016 on a high note, maintaining per head profits north of $100 for the week ended Dec. 30.
Feedyard margins declined $28 per head last week to total an average loss of $70 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.
Feedyard margins dropped another $20 last week to total an average loss of $90 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.
Calling losses of $193 per head an improvement may be painful, but it’s accurate.
Feedlot closeouts continue ending on positive notes.
Cattle feeders turned a profit for the eighth consecutive week.
Cattle feeders saw positive margins on closeouts for the ninth consecutive week.
Feedyard profit margins rebounded slightly after last week’s $2 rally in the cash fed cattle market.
Kelsey Hammers, a Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota, is studying the impact of high zinc supplementation to gestating sows on sow and piglet performance, specifically the effects on piglet mortality.
Adequate colostrum intake after birth helps promote piglet survival. As litter sizes increase, the demand for colostrum proportionately increases to achieve this desired intake. Here are three ways to improve intake.
The hot summer months are upon us, and a team at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists recently announced a new smartphone application, HotHog, to help predict heat stress in pigs.
Experts from across the country came together at the 2023 World Pork Expo for an in-depth discussion on what the industry knows – and doesn’t know – about sow longevity and pig survivability.
How can the use of a feed flavor in sow lactation impact sow feed intake, body condition changes and piglet growth? Mikayla Spinler, our latest addition to Farm Journal’s PORK’s Up & Coming Leaders, sheds insight.
By the world’s standards, they looked like an unlikely group of employees to bring into a sow barn. But to Jimmy Tosh, owner of Tosh Farms, they looked like a group of women who could use a second chance.
How can better understanding the sow’s amino acid demands in lactation ultimately lead to more profitable pork production? Iowa State’s Dalton Humphrey is exploring how to nutritionally support the sow better.