MF Global: A Rocky End to a Good Year
Just when we had become accustomed to the volatility in the pork industry, we were thrown a big curve we didn’t see coming. MF Global filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 31, and the fallout has been real for...
View ArticleProspects for a Profitable Year
As we enter 2012, the livestock and crop markets saw some sizable swings. Worries about demand and economic weakness (especially in Europe) pushed prices down, while concerns about supplies and extreme...
View ArticleStart Summer Strategies Early
For pork producers, mid-to-late March is really the time to start thinking about summer. A well-accepted fact of the business is that market-hog weights decline during summer months, although the...
View ArticleWeigh Your Many Options
Thanks to a profitable environment for the pork industry dating back to June 2010, producers have rebuilt their balance sheets to respectable levels.
View ArticleMore Pork and Corn in 2012
USDA released three crucial reports at the end of March: the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report, the Quarterly Grain Stocks Report and the Planting Intentions Report.
View ArticleStay Ahead of Space Limitations
By the time you read this article, the Midwest’s construction boom will be well underway. While no one can put an exact number on how many new grow/finish, wean/finish and nursery units are going up,...
View ArticleThe Weather Run in the Crop Markets
The nearly ideal spring weather conditions led to a strong surge in crop plantings. Corn was seeded on 96.4 million acres, which was the most corn area since 1937. Soybean acreage also increased this...
View ArticleBusiness Strategies for Tough Times
Six months ago discussions focused on how growth in the North American breeding herd was inevitable and expansion would be the biggest issue we faced in the near term.
View ArticleFeed Choices for the Year Ahead
In normal years, harvest brings with it the anticipation of bins full or overflowing with corn and soybeans, but this year’s drought has changed such expectations.
View ArticleDrought Damage is not Yet Done
The drought has impacted the feed markets in several ways. Feed prices rose with the summer temperatures and only started to break down with the harvest.
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