March 02, 2022
The Impact of Feed Costs on Hog Margins
Hog margins have steadily improved since the beginning of the year. Futures ...
Hog margins have steadily improved since the beginning of the year. Futures markets are projecting the highest forward-looking hog margins for a model operation since 2014. Taking Q2 as an example, ...
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November 03, 2021
Keep Vigilant for Margin Opportunities
The outlook for forward hog margins is less optimistic than it was even a month ...
The outlook for forward hog margins is less optimistic than it was even a month ago following the release of the USDA’s September Hogs & Pigs report. The surprising data indicating there ...
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August 02, 2021
Opportunities and Risks Abound While Hog Margins Remain Attractive
In today’s fast-paced world where everyone is connected to the 24-hour news ...
In today’s fast-paced world where everyone is connected to the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to tune out noise and opinions. The constant influx of COVID-19 headlines, weather maps ...
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April 06, 2021
Does it Pay to Wait Selling Corn in an Inverted Market?
Most growers are probably reluctant sellers of new-crop corn in the current ...
Most growers are probably reluctant sellers of new-crop corn in the current market for a variety of reasons. First, with old-crop corn trading at life-of-contract highs, whatever previous sales ...
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March 02, 2021
Livestock Risk Protection Valuable to Producers’ Toolbox
The last twelve months is a period most of us would just as soon move past. ...
The last twelve months is a period most of us would just as soon move past. While much attention was focused on a global pandemic, a summer of civil unrest, and a November election, USDA was revamping ...
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November 03, 2020
Pork Cutout Futures
Pork cutout futures start trading later this month. For many producers, this ...
Pork cutout futures start trading later this month. For many producers, this can be a significant addition to their margin management strategy. Pork producers often price their animals using ...
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August 04, 2020
It’s Time to Re-examine Livestock Revenue Protection
Tumultuous market conditions and repeated ad-hoc disaster payments highlight ...
Tumultuous market conditions and repeated ad-hoc disaster payments highlight need for improved longer-term, market-based support for livestock producers. The term “unprecedented” has been ...
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June 03, 2020
Understanding Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments
The CARES Act was passed by Congress to provide quick and direct economic ...
The CARES Act was passed by Congress to provide quick and direct economic assistance to Americas to combat the economic impacts of COVID-19. The Act also directed the USDA to administer the newly-created ...
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May 03, 2020
Understanding USDA Cutout Reports
What is the best way to determine the fair market value of a pig? This seemingly ...
What is the best way to determine the fair market value of a pig? This seemingly innocuous question has resulted in a multitude of opinions over the years as market dynamics, participants, and ...
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