Soy Selloff Gives Feed Costs a Little Breathing Room
Last week’s decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny requests to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) came as no surprise to me and was not at all unexpected by the livestock and poultry sectors.
Pork Exports Holding Their Own
September export data are in and, though 1.3% lower than last year, we are going to declare them a victory for U.S. producers and packers.
Plenty of Pork for the Holidays
The amount of pork in freezers is beginning to be a bit concerning, especially when the fourth-highest level ever occurs on Sept. 30, just in front of what are usually the highest slaughter levels of the year.
Even with Slippage, Pork Export Record Not Out of Sight
With last week’s release of August data by the Commerce Department and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Economic Research Service (ERS), the year-on-year declines in monthly export figures are now officially upon us.
Canadian Sow and Pig Counts Still Hazy
As can be seen from this week’s data table, information regarding imports of hogs and pigs from Canada is still not available from USDA. The website for the live animal import report says that the delay is due to technical issues and references for the weeks of Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, adding that the data back to Aug. 18 may be revised.
Where Are These Hogs Coming From?
The question remains: Where are these hogs coming from? Last week’s FI slaughter run of 2.428 million head was the third highest EVER. It ranks behind only the weeks of December 22, 2007 (2.477 million head) and January 12, 2008 (2.435 million head) – the two largest weeks during a surge of slaughter driven by the thousands of pigs that otherwise would have died if not for the introduction in 2007 of effective circorvirus vaccines.
Just the Facts: Ethanol Ate Our Lunch
I am a pretty black and white, “Just the facts, Ma’am” type of guy. Part of that is my nature and part of it is the fact that I stayed in school long enough that they gave me a fancy degree if I would just go away. That’s not completely accurate but may be closer than I want to admit.
Hog Slaughter Up, but Weights Coming Down
The driving force behind recent weakness in cash hog and pork markets is not hard to find – larger supplies. Federally inspected (FI) hog slaughter exceeded year-ago levels by over 6% for the third straight week.
How Have the Wheels Come Off?
After my effort last week to put fall supplies in what I still believe is a correct and lower context, federally-inspected (FI) slaughter exploded to 2.265 million head, 4.6% higher than the week before and nearly 7% larger than last year. The June Hogs and Pigs report indicated nothing like this in terms of market hog supplies. What’s more, the report had been very accurate (running only 0.8% below the June inventory numbers) from July 1 through August 8.
