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Defining
Demand for Pork as Prices Languish
We all know demand is not what it should be, right? But
which demand are we talking about? Specifying just where any demand
problems may lie is a point upon which even I have not been clear enough
lately. In addition, what I am seeing in hog prices is not squaring
with information I’m hearing about consumer attitudes and behavior.
So I did a little number crunching last week.
First, a bit of background. Hog prices have languished far below last
year’s level and levels where virtually everyone expected them to be
this summer. But does that mean pork demand is bad? Well, sort of, if
you are talking about wholesale demand, which is closely correlated with
hog demand since wholesale prices and by-product values are the major
determinants of hog bids.
FULL ARTICLE
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Propping
Up Farrowing Rates
There are three main variables that impact the success of
a mating/service – the female to be bred (sow/gilt), semen quality,
and the capabilities of the person responsible for the insemination.
Farrowing rate is one of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) used
in the Swine Management Services’ (SMS) database. It also has one of
the flattest KPI bell curves (Chart 1) in the database. Farms vary from
below 70% to 92% farrowing rate for the most current 52 weeks in the
database.
Chart 2 shows the wean-to-1st service interval for the last 52 weeks,
showing an average of 7.03 days and a range of less than 4 days to 10+
days. As pig weaning age goes up and more lactation feed is fed, there
is a trend for weaned sows to cycle sooner.
FULL ARTICLE
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FDA Food
Safety Reform Passes Subcommittee
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health
passed H.R. 2749, the “Food Safety Enhancement Act.” The bill
increases the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to
regulate food. FDA is given authority to mandate food recalls, subpoena
records, conduct on-farm inspections and impose civil penalties. Food
facilities would be inspected by FDA based on risk. High-risk
facilities would be inspected at least once every six to 18 months and
low-risk facilities would be inspected every three to four years. The
bill also provides for a study to analyze the incidence of antibiotic
resistance as it pertains to the food supply and develop new methods to
reduce the transfer of antibiotic resistance to humans.
Committee Deadline for Climate Change Legislation Set — House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has set June 19 as the deadline for all
committees with jurisdiction to complete action on the climate change
legislation (HR 2454). Speaker Pelosi would like for the full House to
pass the legislation before the July 4 recess. A key issue for members
of the House Agriculture Committee is indirect land use. Chairman
Collin Peterson (D-MN) has been meeting with House leadership to try and
resolve this issue. Currently over 30 agricultural and farm
organizations have stated their opposition to HR 2454, the Waxman-Markey
bill. These include the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Meat
Institute, National Chicken Council, National Corn Growers Association
and the National Turkey Federation.
FULL ARTICLE
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Thousands
Make Trip To World Pork Expo
Despite unprecedented challenges in the U.S. pork
industry, thousands of pork producers and allied industry exhibitors
came together in early June for the National Pork Producers Council’s 21st
annual World Pork
Expo.
Pork producers are struggling from an extended period of low prices
compounded by negative reactions following the April 24 announcement of
the H1N1 Flu
Outbreak Virus.
The drop in attendance from 2008, estimated at 14,625, was expected,
due in part to the H1N1 flu’s impact on international travel.
“With the market conditions, we knew some pork producers would not
be able to make the trip this year,” says John Wrigley, World Pork
Expo general manager. “But with the addition of the H1N1 virus issue
hitting at exactly the time international visitors had to make travel
plans, we believe it had a significant impact on international
attendance.”
FULL ARTICLE
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June 21 - 24, 2009: Reciprocal Meat Conference
2009. Rogers, Arkansas; Hosted by University of Arkansas and Tyson
Foods.
Contact: Thomas Powell, AMSA Executive Director (tpowell@meatscience.org).
Web site: www.meatscience.org/rmc/09invite.html
August 24 - 28, 2009: ID•INFO EXPO 2009, Kansas City,
Mo. the ID•INFO EXPO 2009 will focus on recent advances in animal
identification technology as there's been significant advances made
these past two years. In addition, we'll explore traceability as it
lines up with food safety, animal health and marketing efforts. With
recent food safety concerns in produce and troubles locating the source
of the produce, more and more consumers are asking "Where did this
come from?" and retailers are actively pursuing solutions to meet
consumer demand. In addition, export markets will continue to increase
demands for traceability. More information is available at www.animalagriculture.org.
October 27 - 29, 2009: Meat Industry Research Conference.
McCormick Place; Chicago, Illinois. This will take place in conjunction
with the World wide Food Expo.
Contact Person: AMSA member
services at 800-517-2672 or information@meatscience.org.
Web Site: www.worldwidefood.com Past Proceedings Web Site: www.meatscience.org/MIRC/
FULL ARTICLE
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