HOURS: MONDAY - FRIDAY 7 AM - 4 PM

February 2024

Where will you be on February 13 & 14?

If you said, MN Pork Congress...

PALS will be there too!

Stop by our booth (181,196)... we have made some updates to our booth!

The Hog Team and the some of the Electronics Tech Team will be there to answer any and all questions you may have.

Challenges Persist for Hog Industry in 2024 Despite Potential Improvements

By Jim Eadie - January 22, 2024

In the aftermath of a challenging 2023, hog producers may encounter slightly better conditions in 2024, but the industry continues to grapple with a tough economic landscape, according to Iowa State University Extension economist Lee Schulz.

“The headwinds of profit are still coming,” Schulz remarks, underscoring that, if current projections materialize, the industry is poised to experience its most unfavorable two-year stretch in pork producer profitability.

Greeting industry changes with a mindset toward innovation

Livestock producers may not be big on change, but they are innovators, willing to improve facilities, processes and methods to grow a more efficient pig.

Clayton Johnson DVM Carthage Veterinary Service

November 28, 2023

NATIONAL PORK BOARD

I’m sure 2023 is a year most hog producers will want to forget. Calculations by Lee Schulz at Iowa State University estimate the typical Iowa farrow-to-finish operation lost $24.10 for each hog sold last year. That is the biggest annual loss since 2009 when losses averaged $26.04/head. Producers lost money on hogs sold in every month of 2023 except for July and August.

Use biosecurity to protect pigs from African swine fever, know signs

USDA updated its African swine fever response plans in October and urges pork producers, others to put a premium on disease prevention

January 18, 2024

African swine fever continues to kill millions of pigs worldwide. Officials from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) remain clear producers and pig owners must be focused on preventing the disease and immediately reporting any signs. To make sure the United States is prepared in the event of outbreak, APHIS updated its African swine fever (ASF) response plans in October.

Resiliency is key for hog industry

Hog Outlook: The cost of production is moderating, but it’s settling into a new normal of highs.

Kevin Schulz January 8, 2024

GOOD AND BAD: U.S. hog producers should be seeing some of the best prices on record, but on the flip side, productions costs will settle into a moderate decline to a new normal of record levels. KEVIN SCHULZ

Before we all settled in for the holidays to close out 2023, USDA offered U.S. hog producers a look at the past and a glimpse into the future with the issuance of the quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report on Dec. 22.