More in Feed Costs

Since 1988, there have been 4-5 major downturns in the swine industry, each time challenging producers to find ways to decrease feed costs and boost feed efficiency, says Bob Thaler, South Dakota State University Extension swine specialist....More

As feed costs continue to climb, we are working with farm managers to adjust management and fine-tune standard operating procedures (SOPs) to maximize the number of pigs being weaned/mated female/year (PW/MF/Y)....More

National Hog Farmer’s sister publication, Corn & Soybean Digest, reports that as of this week, with almost one-fifth of the corn crop reaching maturity, and over half of the overall crop denting, the corn harvest has started. As of Aug. 20, 4% of the 2012 corn crop has been harvested. Four percent of the soybean crop is dropping leaves, and overall soybean condition gained a point in the good-to-excellent rating category....More

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a Federal Register notice opening a 30-day comment period on requests from the governors of Arkansas and North Carolina to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) requirements. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe and North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue each submitted an RFS waiver request last week because of the historic drought and threats to each state’s livestock and poultry industries....More

Corn prices pushed higher by the worst U.S. drought in half a century would not necessarily moderate if the federal government's corn ethanol mandate were temporarily suspended, according to a report by Purdue University agricultural economists....More

A crop report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today shows U.S. corn supplies for 2012-2013 will hit a nine-year low due to the nation’s record-breaking drought and other factors, which will drive record corn prices even higher. According to the crop report, corn is projected at a record $7.50 to $8.90 per bushel, up sharply from the $5.40 to $6.40 per bushel projected in July....More

Affected by one of the worst droughts on record, U.S. corn growers are forecast to harvest 87.4 million acres in 2012, down 2% from June estimates, according to the Crop Production report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service....More

A coalition of meat and poultry organizations today has requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waive the federal mandate for the production of corn ethanol in order to head off drought conditions that are becoming the worst in 50 years....More

In response to a new economic study on the impact of corn ethanol production on food prices and commodity price volatility, a coalition of livestock and poultry groups is urging Congress to reform the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which mandates the amount of ethanol that must be produced annually....More

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raising a number of concerns about its proposed Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). NPPC says the draft text provided for comment addresses many difficulties identified with the current VFD. However, to make the transition of all feed antibiotics to VFD smoother, NPPC suggests that FDA consider the following:...More

Since 1944, the National Research Council has published 10 editions of the Nutrient Requirements of Swine. This reference has guided nutritionists and other professionals in academia and the swine and feed industries in developing and implementing nutritional and feeding programs for swine. The swine industry has undergone considerable changes since the tenth edition was published in 1998 and some of the requirements and recommendations set forth at that time are no longer relevant or appropriate....More