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It appears 2011domestic pork demand will end the year showing a gain compared to 2010. I say “it appears” because the final pieces of data – December pork exports and imports – will not be available until mid-February. My calculations for December 2010 through November 2011 show demand 1.2% higher than the same period 12 months earlier. Plus, the calculations of University of Missouri Agricultural Economist Ron Plain, who used estimated December trade figures, indicate demand will be positive for the 2011 calendar year. That record was built with solid gains in the first half of the year and “hanging on” in the second half as burgeoning exports reduced the amount of pork available in the United States and, I believe, a softening economy slowed the pace at which retail prices could be increased. Retail prices still set a record in September at $3.56/lb. and remained near that level ($3.46/lb.) in December, but steady demand would have pushed those values even higher given larger exports and concurrent lower domestic availability/consumption....More

Focusing on barn management details prior to entry, while loading the barn and while performing daily chores can help improve feed efficiency....More

  After 18 months of negotiations over sanitary standards, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lifted the ban on Brazilian pork imports, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has announced. USDA agreed to recognize Brazilian inspectors as qualified to approve slaughterhouses in the state of Santa Catarina. To date, USDA has approved six processing plants to export pork to the United States. In 2010, USDA recognized Santa Catarina as free of foot-and-mouth disease, leading to approval of the processing plants....More

I am asked this question by many people. The December 2011 USDA Hog and Pigs report did not show any real expansion. In our view, hog numbers will be about 1 to 1½% higher this year....More

  The administrator of USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has announced that he is leaving his post next week. J. Dudley Butler was in charge of key parts of the Obama administration’s effort to pass sweeping antitrust reforms affecting the meat packing industry. Proposed regulations saw small farming groups in a battle with large meat packing firms; that conflict ended late last year after Congress killed funding....More