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Pork Prices seem to have "Staying Power"
Just as kids are reluctant for summer vacation to end and the rigors of school to commence, pork producers usually look from summer good times to the autumn months with some trepidation. “Just how far will prices fall?” they wonder.
Most Weekly Preview readers know the drill very well. Hog supplies begin to grow in August and September as the larger pig crops of late spring and early summer begin to reach market weight. That “bunching” of baby pigs is caused by improved seasonal fertility and conception rates, the impact of cooler temperatures. Likewise, there is probably still some impact of improved sperm count/semen quality as temperatures cool, but the widespread adoption of artificial insemination has very likely offset most of that factor.
As hog supplies grow, prices drop. No rocket science there — pure supply and demand at work. Hog prices fall because there is more product available at the wholesale and retail levels and because packers do not have to scramble nearly as hard to fill their daily slaughter needs. The result is that hog prices drop by a larger proportion than do the wholesale or retail prices and margins at the packer, processor and retailer/restaurant levels usually reach their highest point for the year.
Many people believe that lower pork demand in the fall contributes to this price decline. It’s logical that the end to the grilling season would see lower demand for pork chops, hot dogs, sausages, ribs and butts and put downward pressure on prices. We can’t see all of those people cooking in their back yards and campgrounds and ballparks, so they must not be cooking, right?
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How Batch Farrowing Impacts Production
(First in a two-part series)
In the last 12 months, we have seen an increase in the number of farms doing batch farrowing in the Swine Management Services (SMS) benchmarking database, so we decided to take a closer look at the concept of group or batch farrowing and weaning.
During the mid-70s and into the ’80s, pork producers moved from farrowing twice a year to more intense, year-round farrowing to make better use of facilities and family labor. Group- or batch-farrowing systems were designed around planting and harvesting seasons when there was less labor available for working with the hogs. At that time, the industry began to move to more all-in, all-out (AIAO) use of farrowing and nursery rooms, a greater focus on sanitation and improved pig health. By increasing the number of pigs produced/sow/year, they effectively reduced the cost per pig.
There were several different approaches to the group/batch systems based on the number of farrowing rooms, nursery rooms and preferred weaning age of the pigs.
The simplest was the 2/12 system, which had two groups of sows farrowing every 12 weeks. A more intense system, the 3/8 system had three groups of sows farrowing every eight weeks using one farrowing room and one nursery. Pigs were weaned at 23 to 51 days of age, based on how long the boars were left in with the sows. A 4/5 grouping meant boars were only left with the sows for two weeks, which helped keep weaning age at about 21 days of age. A similar 5/4 grouping utilized one farrowing room that allowed for only one week of breeding, 13 litters/farrowing crate/year, and weaning at 16-23 days of age.
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Congress Returns to Full Agenda
After its August recess, it’s a good bet that Congressional members are returning to Washington with the message that their constituents are very dissatisfied with Congress and the ever increasing partisanship. Congress’ approval rating stands at a low of 13%. With continuing high unemployment, the administration and Congress will be focusing on jobs. President Obama is to address a joint session of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 8, to present his jobs proposal. The House Republican leadership plans to focus on excessive regulations that are killing jobs as a part of their jobs package. All eyes will be on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction with its first meeting in September. Their charge is to begin the process of trying to agree on $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction measures. This committee will have a key impact on all government programs, including the 2012 farm bill. Other items on the congressional docket will be the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills and the pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
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Iowa Select Farms Develops New Welfare Guidelines
Iowa Select Farms has developed a new initiative for all of their farms called SelectCare, to increase its focus on improving farm animal care and well-being practices.
The changes come in the wake of an undercover video reported in late June that alleged to show animal abuse at a farm near Kamrar, IA, that is owned by Iowa Select Farms.
A spokesperson for the company says the animal welfare group that investigated the alleged abuses found no basis for those allegations.
SelectCare was developed after a comprehensive, independent examination of Iowa Select’s animal care practices and standards by Anna Johnson, a nationally recognized expert in animal behavior and well-being at Iowa State University. Johnson’s examination was funded by Iowa State Extension and included on-farm tours and review of employees working with animals.
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Sept. 8, 2011: 11th Midwest Swine Nutrition Conference, Indiana Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, IN. For more information contact: www.swinenutritionconference.com.
Sept. 17-20, 2011: Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, RiverCentre, St. Paul, MN. For more information contact: http://www.cvm.umn.edu/.
Sept. 17-18, 2011: Preble County Pork Festival, Preble County Fairgrounds, Eaton, OH. For more information contact: (937) 456-7273 or info@porkfestival.org.
Sept. 20-21, 2011: 72nd Minnesota Nutrition Conference, Holiday Inn, Owatonna, MN. For more information contact:http://www.regonline.com/.
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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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