Pork Exec

Can Corn Keep Up?

As pork producers around the world keep a close eye on corn markets and watch as the price per bushel continues to trend up, they ask, will this trend continue indefinitely? While the industry has evaluated grain demand factors repeatedly, a deep examination of supply factors has been somewhat absent. To discuss the grain-price trend, we need to examine both sides. ... Full story.

Welcome to the Great Hen-cage Debate

The great hen-cage debate of 2012 kicked off in earnest on Jan. 23 with Rep. Kurt Shrader introducing a bill that writes into federal law an agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States that nearly doubles the cage size for laying hens. ... Full story.

GIPSA Final Rule Emerges with Limited Provisions

When last seen at the end of 2010, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s proposed rules to implement controversial changes in livestock markets had disappeared into the USDA for consideration of more than 64,000 public comments. ... Full story.

Broaden Your Approach to Risk Management

Futures prices for lean hogs, corn and soy indicate ongoing profitability into 2012 for the average unhedged pork producer. ... Full story.

What’s on Tap for 2012?

Since 2012 is a presidential election year, don’t look for much to get done in Washington. (Yes, it’s likely that Congress will accomplish even less this year than it did last.) ... Full story.

What You Need to Know about Lien Priorities

In the world of agricultural commodities (including livestock and grain), as uncomfortable as it may be, volatility is becoming a way of life. That volatility can wreak havoc on participants in the pork production chain if they find themselves on the wrong side of price movements. Increased input costs result in increased finished pig costs or squeezed margins or both. ... Full story.

USDA Proposes Animal Traceability Plan

USDA has gotten off the proverbial dime and has formally proposed a regulation that would implement a traceability system to protect the health of U.S. farm animals. It also will help keep American meat exports flowing in the event of an animal disease outbreak. ... Full story.

Tail Biting: Another Welfare Issue

Look at any E.U. pig production-related website or magazine and you’ll find something written about pig welfare. The European Union is allocating huge sums of money to projects relating to welfare issues, as consumers are increasingly concerned about how their pork is produced. ... Full story.

Food Safety Modernization Act Reaches Farm and Feed

The Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law just this past January, representing the first major overhaul of food-safety legislation in 70 years and providing the Food and Drug Administration with a number of new tools as it works to improve the safety of food consumed in the United States. ... Full story.

We Need a Long-term Strategy

Corn supplies are extremely tight. USDA estimates the ending corn stocks for the 2010/2011 crop year at less than 18 days’ worth of use. That would be the lowest carryout on record. (Soybean supplies and soybean meal also are near a record low.) Looking ahead, supplies for the 2011/2012 crop year may not be much better. ... Full story.

Measuring Europe’s Welfare Movement

Animal welfare is a big issue in Europe, and the spotlight is likely to intensify as consumers get increasingly focused on how their food is produced. The European Union is currently spending 1.3 million euros (U.S. $1.8 million) on a three-year project called “Econ Welfare.” ... Full story.

A Changing Landscape for Nutrient-Management Agreements

This time of year many pork producers search for grain farmers willing to accept, and in some cases pay for, manure that has accumulated over a long winter. Likewise, grain farmers are analyzing nutrients that they will need to apply to fields prior to planting. Traditionally, many pork producers have secured a place to dispose of manure by acquiring easements to apply the manure to a grain farmer’s land. ... Full story.