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 … Read More
RaboBank Global Pork Industry Report
Rabobank has published a new report on the global pork industry, saying that heated international markets are slowly cooling down. In the report, the bank’s Food & Agribusiness Research team says that, although the peak of the 2014 porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv) outbreak is past, the global pork industry faces another challenge from the Russian import ban affecting EU, … Read More
Economic Drivers Influence the Hereford Breed
Hereford breeders united to look at the data and production trends throughout the breed at the recent Hereford Genetic Summit. Looking at what is happening here and across the globe gives producers the insight to move the breed forward. CattleFax CEO, Randy Blach, said the Summit is a perfect way for the breed to continually compete in the marketplace. Producers … Read More
Pork Economic Situation and Outlook
The record yields and production predicted for the U.S. corn crop this year have good potential to get even bigger, according to livestock economist Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics. “It just looks very good … we’re looking at a great crop,” said Meyer at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica North Carolina Swine Health Seminar last week. “Based on history, the two years … Read More
Profits Bring Opportunities for Dairy Farm Improvements
Growing dairy profit margins on the heels of strong export demand are giving producers more opportunities to improve and repair farm equipment and facilities, a Purdue Extension dairy specialist says. While Mexico continues to be the largest buyer of dairy products exported from the U.S., growing demand in Southeast Asia for powdered milk and whey has helped boost on-farm profits. … Read More
Thoughts From an Ag Economist and Dairy Producer
Dr. Dave Kohl is a well-known agricultural economist from Virginia Tech who gives talks around the country and the world about agriculture and global macroeconomics. Besides being an agricultural economist, Dr. Kohl is also a value-added dairy producer with two operations, including Homestead Creamery located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. “We put in a processing plant about 11 years ago … Read More