Dr. Ron Plain has been a trusted voice for livestock industry economics at the University of Missouri since 1981, but he is heading into at least semi-retirement.
“I’m retiring on September 1,” said Plain, who spoke at the Boehringer Ingeheim (BIVI) swine seminar in North Carolina last Friday. “So this is one of my last opportunities as a professor to go out and talk to hog producers.” But, Dr. Plain says Mizzou has already hired him on part time after retirement and he will continue to do some consulting work for the industry.
At the seminar, Dr. Plain did what he does best – provide an outlook for the swine industry. “The pork industry is a growth industry – over long term it’s grown one and half percent per year – and every indication is that it’s going to continue to grow,” he said. “Feed costs are down now, that helps the bottom line. Hog farmers have been making some fairly good money, particularly last year, that’s leading to expansion … and so prices are a lot lower. As you look forward, looks like maybe a break even situation for pork producers in 2016.”
In this interview, Plain also considers the export situation and the impact of PED virus on the industry. Interview with Dr. Ron Plain, University of Missouri