NHF_WEEKLY PREVIEW_ A Penton Media Property July 6, 2009 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/nationalhogfarmer/v/404 MARKET PREVIEW --Bashing Pork Retailers Won't Help It is once again "bash-the -retailer" time in the pork industry. This happens periodically, usually when producers are particularly disappointed in the way that the market has treated them. Low hog prices are compared to steadily high retail prices published by USDA and the conclusion is that the situation just is not fair. Or, as one producer recently declared: "Something is broken here!!" He thankfully left out the expletives that his tone of voice told me were just waiting to burst forth. First, it is important to understand that the retail price data we work with is not the best. In fact, it may not be very good at all. Figure 1 shows USDA's monthly data for retail, wholesale and farm level prices. Note that all are computed to a retail weight basis so they are directly comparable and the differences between them constitute a "spread" or gross margin for the firms operating at that level. To view the full article go to: http://nationalhogfarmer.com/0706-bashing-pork-retailers SWINE HEALTH PREVIEW --Summer Heat Adds Urgency to Diagnostics Hot summer months present some challenges for diagnosing health problems in pigs. While it's much more pleasant to perform postmortem examinations in the daylight with temperatures above freezing, it's also more difficult to obtain good quality samples because of the rapid onset of tissue decomposition. Most producers are aware of this and have some means of working around the complications presented by the heat. It's a worthwhile discussion to have with your veterinarian, however, if you are in the midst of working up a particular problem. The chances of coming up with meaningful diagnostic results declines pretty quickly as the pigs begin to decompose. To view the full article go to: http://nationalhogfarmer.com/0706-summer-heat-urgency-diagnostics LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW --Senate to Tackle Climate Change Bill The climate change debate now moves to the Senate after the House of Representatives passed its bill 219-212. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would like for the Senate to consider a global climate change bill this fall. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, plans to have a bill passed out of her committee before the August recess. There will be a number of other committees involved with this legislation. House Climate Change Bill and Agriculture -- Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is given great credit for his efforts to get a number of provisions in the House passed climate change bill that benefits agriculture. The agriculture and forestry sectors are exempt from the bill's greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements. Farmers, ranchers and forest land owners will not be subject to the greenhouse gas emissions cap. The bill establishes an agricultural and forestry offset program at USDA that will work with producers to design and implement plans that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon on their operations. Owners will earn offsets for these actions and they can sell the credits to utilities, refiners or other firms, subject to limitations on greenhouse gas emissions. The bill also addresses indirect land use. It postpones the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) rule provision on indirect land use for five years (three-year study, two years for determination), plus another one year for implementation at the conclusion, if needed. The agreement gives the Secretary of Agriculture veto power over the determination. Obama Administration Rural Tour -- Top officials and cabinet secretaries in President Obama's administration will hold a series of discussions around the country on how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America. President Obama said, "A healthy American economy depends on a prosperous rural America. Rural America is vast and diverse, and different communities face different challenges and opportunities. That's why we're going out to hear directly from the people of rural America about their needs and concerns and what my administration can do to support them." The first of the rural tour sessions was held on July 1 in Wattsburg, PA; Others will be held on July 16 in La Crosse, WI; July 18 in Ringgold, VA; July 20 in St. John's Parish, LA; Aug. 12 in Bethel, AK; Aug. 16 in Zanesville, OH; Aug. 17 in Hamlet, NC; Sept. 28 in Scottsbluff, NE; and, Sept. 30 in Las Cruces, NM. To view the full article go to: http://nationalhogfarmer.com/0706-senate-tackle-climate-bill NEWS FLASH --Exports Heighten Need to Meet Product Withdrawal Guidelines Pork producers should review their use of feed/water tetracycline-class antibiotics (tetracycline, oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline) to ensure their use meets standards required by some export markets for U.S. pork products, according to the National Pork Board. All U.S. pork producers must follow animal health product withdrawal standards that meet U.S. maximum residue limits. These standards were fixed by the Food and Drug Administration's scientific-based testing that ensures the safety of all products entering the food chain. However, some countries buying U.S. pork products may have withdrawal requirements that exceed those on the product label. To view the full article go to: http://nationalhogfarmer.com/health-diseases/news/0701-product-withdrawal-guidelines PORK INDUSTRY CALENDAR July 23, 2009: Pork Checkoff strategic planning meeting, Holiday Inn Convention Center, Omaha, NE; contact: the National Pork Board at (800) 456-7675 or go to www.pork.org (http://www.pork.org). July 24, 2009: Pork Checkoff strategic planning meeting, Indiana Pork Producers office, Indianapolis, IN; contact: the National Pork Board at (800) 456-7675 or go to www.pork.org (http://www.pork.org). July 27, 2009: Pork Checkoff strategic planning meeting, Sampson Community College, Clinton, NC; contact: the National Pork Board at (800) 456-7675 or go to www.pork.org (http://www.pork.org). To view the full article go to: http://nationalhogfarmer.com/calendar/ ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email# To subscribe to this newsletter go to: http://subscribe.nationalhogfarmer.com/?tc=NLSUB To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: http://subscribe.nationalhogfarmer.com/?tc=NLSUB&cid=#message_id#&lid=#list_id#&email=#email# Send Comments & Questions Dale Miller, Editor, National Hog Farmer, mailto:dale.miller@penton.com Penton Media | 249 W. 17th Street | New York, NY 10011 Copyright 2009, Penton Media. All rights reserved. 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