Feedstuffs in Focus

The feed and livestock industry is a major part of the global economy, and what happens in one corner of the globe – say a major swine disease outbreak in China, for example – has far reaching implications around the globe, from animal health to dollars and cents. Understanding how global customers make food-buying decisions, anticipating future needs of the international market, and dealing with...

Increased sow mortality rates have a serious impact on farm profitability and employee morale. Issues including lameness, feet and leg issues and prolapses are all significant aspects of rising sow mortality rates.  Research published in 2018 from veterinarians at the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minnesota, estimate that prolapses on a 2,500-sow farm cost roughly $34 per inventoried sow or $850...

Good pigs start with good genetics. As our understanding of the animal’s genetic code deepens and technology advances, so does the industry’s ability to enhance and influence a suite of traits and characteristics. One relatively new area of focus is breeding pigs for increased natural robustness to disease – in other words, breeding pigs that are hardier in the face of disease pressure and are eve...

One of the biggest continuing storylines in the feed and livestock sector is trade policy, and how its twists and turns shift and shape markets for feed ingredients and animal proteins. Headlines on topics from trade wars to trade agreements were a frequent feature of our coverage in 2019 and that looks to continue well into the new year . USMCA moved one step closer to  ratification with the Sena...

The new year is a time when many people reflect on the successes and challenges of the previous 365 days and look ahead with excitement for the opportunities that lie in the 12 months ahead. For the agriculture industry in general and livestock producers in particular, 2019 was fraught with frustrations.  From trade tensions to political uncertainty, it was a year that saw the slowest global econo...

Political volatility, uncertainty in the export markets, spring flooding and propane shortages… these are just a few of the big challenges that faced grain handlers and feed manufacturers in 2019. How did elevators and feed mills weather the literal and metaphorical storms of the year, and what is the outlook for the industry in 2020? In this episode we discuss those topics, and a few more, with R...

What do food buyers at the grocery store really want when it comes to meat? For livestock producers, packers, food processors and retailers, sometimes answering that question feels like hitting a moving target. To get a better look at what moves the needle in the meat case, we talked with a case-ready commodity manager at one of the nation's largest grocers. Judson Armentrout is a commodity m...

Despite challenging weather conditions and an erratic global trade situation, there is a good chance feed prices could stabilize in 2020. Softer exports and strong planting intentions could keep corn prices below $4, and protein sources from soy to fishmeal should see plentiful supplies keep a lid on prices, too. Agricultural economist Ben Brown oversees the farm management program at The Ohio Sta...

U.S. net farm income is projected to hit $88 billion for 2019, a third-consecutive year of at least modest growth. But federal trade assistance payments are the underlying reason for that growth according to Ohio State University agricultural economist Ani Katchova.  Crop-sector receipts are expected to decline this year while animal product receipts are expected to remain flat in 2019. Modest gro...

African Swine Fever is a fatal swine disease with a near-100% fatality rate according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the first year since its detection in Asia, more than 5 million pigs have died or been culled to prevent the spread of the virus. The latest data provided by FAO  indicates that current losses represent more than 10 percent of the total pig population in...

The world is hungry for protein.  According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, annual per capita meat consumption nearly doubled between 1961 and 2014, nearing 95 pounds. Over the next five years, some analysts project plant-based protein markets will top $14 billion globally, and the global protein ingredient markets will near $71 billion by 2025. What does...

Climate change. It has become one of the thorniest political problems and most socially-contentious issues in recent memory. From “Meatless Mondays” to the Impossible Burger, the notion that eating less meat might be good for the environment has gained traction in media coverage of climate issues and among consumers. But what does the data say? According to the 2019 Global Agricultural Productivit...