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Feed Costs Loom Large
The winner for most frequently asked question at World Pork Expo last week was: “Will we run out of corn?” ¬The answer, obviously, has some serious implications to pork producers.
My answer to the question is an emphatic – NO, we will not run out of corn. But, one must be careful about what one is talking about. When I say “we,” it is in the context of the U.S. market.
I am 100% certain that “we” will not drive year-end stocks all the way to zero, but if we spread 730 million bushels (USDA’s current forecast for 2011 year-end stocks and a number that I still think may be high) evenly over the entire United States, the layer of corn is pretty thin. Of course, we all know it will not be spread evenly, so some places will have corn and some will not.
If you are in those “have not” areas, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to buy corn, but it does mean that you will pay a premium for it, you may have to drive a good distance to get it, and, you should get your hands on corn for August and September now. I know it is expensive, but it may be more expensive later in the crop year and your search costs and headaches may grow tremendously!
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Seasonal Infertility Affects Total Born, Piglet Survival
In last week’s article (Weekly Preview, June, 3, 2011), we took a closer look at the effect of seasonal infertility on farrowing rate, repeat services, wean-to-first service interval and female death loss. We used the same data set – fall of 2009 to fall of 2010 – for this article. Again, only farms with a 12.5-total born/litter average or better for the past two years were used for this article.
Geographically, the 49 qualifying farms were located as follows: nine farms in southern states, 24 farms in northern states, and 16 farms in Canada. The division for north and south farms was determined by the Mason-Dixon Line.
Chart 1, Total Born/Female (by breeding data), shows adjusted data to reflect the total born/litter based on breeding date to see if there were any seasonal effects. For the 12 months in the dataset, the average of total pigs born/litter in Canadian herds was13.42 pigs, in northern states was 13.66 pigs, and in southern states was 12.59 pigs.
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GIPSA Rule and Ag Appropriations
The House of Representatives is expected to consider the fiscal year 2012 agriculture appropriations bill this week. An issue may be the proposed Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule on livestock and poultry marketing. The legislation contains a provision that would not allow any funds to be made available to be used to “write, prepare, develop, or publish” a final rule or an interim final rule regarding USDA’s proposed GIPSA rule on livestock and poultry marketing. In essence, this would stop any work on the proposed rule during fiscal year 2012, which begins Oct. 1. This language is supported by a number of beef and pork groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, American Hereford Association, Certified Angus Beef, and various state beef and pork associations. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has raised concerns with not allowing USDA to complete the rule. She has considered offering an amendment to reinstate funding to allow USDA to complete the rule. Her effort is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). In a letter to Congresswoman Kaptur, AFBF said, “We also have no affiliation with major packers, integrators or processors, and therefore our only interest is the impact of this rule on farmers and ranchers. Because of this unique position, there are several provisions in this rule that we strongly support, while others give us pause.”
Direct Farm Payment Limitations – The FY ’12 agriculture appropriations bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee includes a provision prohibiting funds for certain direct farm bill payments for producers with incomes exceeding $250,000.
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Pork Board Elects New Officer Slate
A pork producer from Richards, MO, has been named president of the 15-member National Pork Board.
Everett Forkner is the owner and president of Forkner Farms Inc., which consists of 550 purebred sows and markets 7,500 hogs/year. Forkner and his family also raise corn, soybeans and wheat on 2,000 acres in west central Missouri.
National Pork Board members also elected pork producer Conley Nelson from Algona, IA, vice president and Montgomery, MN, pork producer Karen Richter treasurer. All three will serve one-year terms.
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June 27, 2011: Advanced Swine Reproduction Seminar, Plymouth County Extension Office, LeMars, IA. For more information contact: Dave Stender at the Cherokee County Extension Office at (712) 261-0225 or e-mail dstender@iastate.edu.
June 28, 2011: Advanced Swine Reproduction Seminar, Waverly Civic Center, Waverly, IA. For more information contact: Mark Storlie at the Fayette County Extension Office at (563) 425-3331 or e-mail mstorlie@iastate.edu.
June 29, 2011: Swine Ventilation Workshop, Darke County Fairgrounds, Greenville, OH. For more information contact: http://porkinfo.osu.edu.
July 16-19, 2011: American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention, America’s Center
downtown St. Louis, MO. For more information contact: https://www.avmaconvention.org.
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"Documented effects of Levucell® SB include the ability to improve digestive transit which in turn helps the sow get on feed quicker the first week of lactation and increases feed intake through lactation, which helps reduce sow weight loss and produces heavier piglets at weaning. Studies show sows fed Levucell SB have fewer days to estrus."
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