Managing Feed Costs

SwineCast 0310 Show Notes:

• Conversing with Glenn Grimes at World Pork Expo on markets and ratios
  
• Tradeshow talk about BASF's Nutridense corn system
• Iowa State's Suzanne Millman joins us for a followup discussion about her animal welfare presentation at National Institute for Animal Agriculture

SwineCast 0299 Show Notes:

• Ag Secretary Schafer says government is looking for fast turn solutions to higher feed costs
• Canada's breeding herd cull program received widespread government support
• Feed components are increasingly imported from countries with poor purity standards. John Ratcliff of the U.K.s Food and Agriculture Consultancy says increased monitoring is necessary.
• American Feed Industry Association's Jerrod Kersey follows up with the issue from his industry's perspective
• Link to Pew Foundation report - Putting Meat

SwineCast 0297 Show Notes:

• Looking to cut costs in your ingredient sources may expose you to more risk than you think. A conversation with John Ratcliff of the Food and Agriculture Consultancy of the United Kingdom
• Genetics are driven by data but who determines the direction? PIC's Technical Services Director for Genetics joins us
• Employee relations and recruitment questions continue to be heavily attended workshops.

SwineCast 0293 Show Notes:

• AFBF requests Section 32 pork purchase by USDA
• Prospective plantings report sows discontent among feed users
• Farm Bill update.. sounds like another extension in the offing
• Dr Tom Gillespie of Rensselaer's Swine Vet Services looks at biosecurity
• PRRS tranmission vectors and social interactions under study at University of MN 

SwineCast 0284 Show Notes:

• New PCV Vaccine research looks at maternal immunity and onset of protection
• Considerations for adjustments possible in light of high feed costs with Dr John Patience of PSC
• Air quality equipment... North Carolina State study of ozonation and the impact on barn environment

SwineCast 0279 Show Notes:

• Smithfield cutting sow herd 4-5% in light of high feed costs
• Julie Maschoff shares that company's views on human resources and public relations
• Dr George Foxcroft looks at sow prolificacy issues
• Comment period for "naturally raised" term extended

You really have about three options and their variations on procuring feed ingredients at the best possible price. The options which are before you will be somewhat dictated by whether you can make your own feed or whether you must buy it as complete. We will deal with those shortly but before we think about buying feed right, let's take a look at how you are using it currently.

So regardless of your feed procurement strategy, the first thing you should do is to check the following things:

1. Is your feeding program (feed budget) optimized for your genetics and the current ingredient prices.