Productivity in the pork sector is now weighing on profitability.

The September Hogs and Pigs Report was bearish pushing lean hogs limit down last Friday and possibly opening the door for more technical selling in the weeks ahead. Analysts viewed the report as bearish the surprise at how many animals are still out there, even considering the revisions.

The supply driver is production efficiency and improved genetics. It is well known that large producers are often inefficient when it comes to how many sows a pig produces per year, or PSYs in industry jargon. Pigs saved per litter reached a record of 11.61 in the last quarter versus 11.13 a year earlier. This is an increase of nearly 4%.

The total inventory for all hogs and pigs was slightly higher than a year ago and almost 2% from June 1. 74.3 million head represents a larger herd than analysts expected as producers have not been increasing animal populations due to poor profitability from high feed costs and weak demand.

Possibly more surprising wsa the higher slaughter, implying the hog herd is not declining as many thought.

“I don't know if people who follow the slaughter numbers up to this point would be surprised by the revisions that were made,” Kalo said. “The December 2022 through February 2023 pig crop was increased by about 480,000 head or 1.5% based on the slaughter numbers that we saw in June through August 2023. USDA also made a revision to its March through May 2023 pig crop, raised it only by about 60,000 head, but that number is likely to change as we go forward depending on what we see in terms of slaughter when we look at inventory numbers and the number of market hogs on the ground right now.”

Most shows (besides county and state fairs) have began to allow kids to show livestock till they are 21 as of Jan 1. Meaning, most of these individuals can legally drink for a year or two while being allowed to show (depending on when their birth date falls). So, what happens when these exhibitors are getting completely intoxicated at these shows? Should there be rules or consequences within the show? What type of example does this set for younger exhibitors when they see these older (of age) exhibitors completely abusing alcohol at the show venue? Truthfully I don’t mind what happens outside the show venue, but around the arena/in the barns? What are your thoughts? If there is a show the following day should they be disqualified if they are out of hand the night before due so excessive alcohol intake?

Hey everybody! I'm particularly young and had the idea of trying to raise and sell a couple of calves. I was wondering about general expenses so I could estimate that and try to understand the profit. That and I also am not sure where I would actually go to buy a calf? I'm having some difficulty finding resources for such. I'm in the east texas area.

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Any general advice or information would be appreciated too, want to make sure I go about this responsibly

Also, if there's any breed suggestions? My price range is 2kish, lower then that is fine

hope this isn’t a silly question. i have always had a passion for animals and caring for them. its been my dream to work with farm animals and tend to them.. i dream of a life where i raise chickens and cows, goats, ducks and whatnot, sell the eggs and meat and milk.. maybe i have a horse i can race around the farm sometimes, who knows. a homesteading kind of life. i’m sure its hard at times. i’ve worked with animals before, my mother owns a small farm in her home country so i know there’s dirty work involved, but its really just my passion

ideally, i’d start off being a ranch hand or something, but how do you even do that? how do you find someone to hire you and let you learn how to work with their animals? i go to fairs, and they always have farm animals out.. i assume the people caring for the animals own them, and its a family thing? is there any way to just ask them to hire me on??

i have no money of importance.. do people take loans out for land and animals? how do they support their livelihoods? i’d be willing to drop nearly everything in my life to go be a cowpoke in the middle of nowhere.. of course i have ties, i’m in a commited partnership, but my fiance wants to do this farm thing with me too.. we just have no idea how to start

tldr: how do i live a life with livestock in it? how do i get into it at all? i have prior experience but nothing extensive. financially what am i to expect? is this feasible in this economy anymore

Hi there! I live in the suburbs and my husband and I are considering getting chickens or quail in an effort to be more self-sufficient, however, we travel frequently — sometimes 1-2 weeks at a time.

My plan so far for (5) standard-size hens is:

• a 150 sq foot run with a coop inside (coops in my residential area cannot exceed 150 sq feet), so about 30 sq feet per bird
• an in-coop camera connected to our phones with motion and sound detection
• an automatic door for the chickens to get into a chicken run
• multiple automatic feeders and water (we use these already and cameras with our feral cats when we travel)
• a slant in the coop so eggs will roll to a collection area
• really good reinforcement against predators, including wire at the bottom as well (basically all sides), our backyard where the coop would be is also fenced in

The thing I can’t figure out is the poop! We have many security cameras and when we travel, I always feel secure knowing I can watch the house and animals and call someone in the rare case something is amiss. I have been doing this with feral cats for a long time. My cats, however, are outdoor cats and do not have a set bathroom area I need to worry about getting stinky. I would hate to leave chickens or quail in a cage that is too stinky. For this reason:

• How quickly would a 150 sq combined coop and run get stinky with 5 hens and need to be cleaned out?
• Do chicken poop in their coop or do they keep this area cleaner because it’s where they sleep?

Any other recommendations or tips for traveling?

Thank you!

So i have rabbits and i’m trying to start a small breeding i guess business i have 2 hutches working on a 3rd bigger hutch any tips for telling when my rabbit is pregnant and also would i need a business to sell the babies at say an auction or a livestock swap?

Unfortunately we had a tragedy on our plot which has left us with an orphaned little lamb. He’s just under a week old (~5 days) and is a merino dorper cross. Currently my main stress is bottle feeding. Although he is taking moderately well, I’m stressing that his intake is not enough. After his first bottle feeding he took roughly 30ml of milk (evaporated milk, normal milk + egg mixture as the farm owner does not have and won’t buy formula), but I’ve read that he should at least be taking 140-200ml per feeding. Should I be concerned, or should I just let him drink as much as he’s willing to until he’s more accustomed to the bottle? My primary concern is that he won’t have enough energy and might not make it. He does have access to blankets and such. Excuse my lack of knowledge but I haven’t worked with livestock before and the internet isn’t giving me much of a straight answer. Any help appreciated!!!

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I have a horse farm that has 60 head. I have installed 12 richie bowl systems that are completely poly. My question is.... what is the best way to heat them? I was using the donut heaters however they were shocking my horses and now the horses do no want to drink from the bowls. Can anyone give any suggestions?

On aerial photos and imagery, I have long noticed the trails that radiated from water tanks, troghs, and other sources and created by livestock walking back and forth too them.

Does anyone know of articles or other publications about why they do this?

Also, I am looking for examples of such trails either in publications or viewable by Google Earth.

Every morning for about a week now my neighbors dog has come up on my property, trying to fight my dog and get into my rabbit pen and Hutch. Today it killed one of my rabbits and came back to get the rest of them. I’ve talked to the owner before this happened and today after I found his dogs mauling my rabbit. I am furious. I have two more rabbits and two small dogs that aren’t much bigger than the rabbits. I told the owner that I will be waiting with my shotgun in the morning and his dog will be dead as soon as it steps foot on my land. I have never killed a dog and really do not want to but I don’t want to wake up to any more of my animals being killed. What else could I do? or is a shotgun my only option?

We have livestock rabbits. My mother was meant to teach me everything she knew, but she died three weeks ago, and she took her knowledge with her. We have a chicken coop that houses three rabbit hutches, where we are currently keeping a buck in one, two breeders in another, and two does that will probably be meat in another, though these roles may change. This summer got extremely hot, and one- a male- died. The ice bottles we were putting in just weren't enough. The coop is very stuffy, as winters here are very cold, so we can't make it more breezy for them. We have wire, so I was considering building them a place on the ground separate from the chickens (dad said they should be separate) in the coop and through a small chicken door that we previously had closed off.that way they could have a wide open space to catch the breeze. Maybe I could even build them a little climbing structure. Is this an okay idea and should the male be separated from them? They're meant to breed, but I don't know if they should right before winter.

Cattle producers begin construction on $670 million beef plant.

Easy Newz regularly covers the anti-competitive trends of the packing industry. Four companies (Cargill, National, JBS, and Tyson) control most domestic cattle buying and beef production. The government has issued reports recently and publicly criticized the companies but has done little to address the oligopoly.

Producers in Texas have found an alternative. Texas is the largest cattle-feeding state and the third largest in beef production. Amarillo sits in the heart of America’s cattle and beef industry. The Texas group, Producer Owned Beef, acquired 1,108 acres just outside of Amarillo for the new build.

Construction will begin at the end of September on the first-of-its-kind producer-owned packing plant. The total cost is projected at $670 million, with a host of economic benefits. The first year of operations alone is projected to bring $75.5 million to the state and $53.3 million to the local economy.

The scope of the project is considerable. A 750,000 square-foot beef processing plant, employing 1,600 workers and slaughtering 3,000 cattle daily. The payroll alone is estimated at $121 million. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The industry will be watching this project closely. Ranchers will finally have an opportunity to benefit from wholesale beef prices, not just the cattle prices the Big 4 companies are willing to pay them.

Why am I supposed to be vegan when l'm not the one doing the inhumane treatment of cattle in slaughter houses. The factory farms should make their procedures more humane.

All 3 of my steers have ringworm after going to a show 2 weeks ago, I have another show coming up, what’s the easiest and fastest way to get rid of ringworm?

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Got a new LSG, she's from a line of chicken dogs. The farm dogs here are getting old, the one lead is training her well, buts she's just a good farm mutt. I'm scared of the LGD Learning to much "dog" stuff from the old pack leader(she loves fetch and balls). It's not really possible to keep them separate. Should or how, do I mitigate playing or dogging out with each other? They seem smitten with eachother so that was a relief

I have a potbelly pig that got a cut down his hind end when trying to squeeze under a loose fence. It’s not bleeding and doesn’t seem too deep. But it did cut into the skin. He stays outside so I wasn’t sure what the best approach was to prevent infection. I know pigs are pretty tough so I wasn’t sure if he may be fine and should heal up easily or if I needed to intervene. And advice is appreciated.

As title, we have a lamb who initially showed some lethargy on thursday, i noticed and treated rain scald on his face, by Saturday he was down and struggling to stand. Vet ‘threw the book at him’ as apart from weakness, all was well, heart rate, breathing rate, temp. He got a Worm dose, mineral dose, long acting antibiotic. Yesterday, still down, now has diarrhoea, I gave him electrolytes and that picked him up a bit. He was alert, eating and standing last night. This morning, back down again. Electrolytes again. Up he goes. Just now, down again. So, question is how can I keep his energy up?? He seems totally happy in himself when he’s standing. Any diagnosis ideas are also welcome.

We live in South Carolina, where the winters are mild and the Summers are very hot. On 15 acres with goats, sheep, and chickens. I'm leaning away from any breed with long hair because of the heat. I have an Australian shepherd that accompanies me outside from time to time but doesn't live outside since he was raised indoors as a pet. We have coyotes in the area and the occasional black bear. We plan on getting at least 2 so they can work together. The dog will have access to an insulated shelter with AC. It doesn't need to be friendly with strangers. Thanks!

I am interested in getting some gilts to plow clay soil for me. I like rare breeds, and I was considering mulefoot, but the only price I can find is a local Craigslist ad asking $1,800 for a breeding pair. Are they really that expensive?

Congressional bill introduced to protect cattle farmers from the Death Tax.

A bipartisan effort led by Representatives Jimmy Panetta of California and Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania introduced legislation to expand IRS Code Section 2032A to help cattle producers. The “Special Use Valuation” would help cover the federal estate tax for family-owned businesses, better known as the Death Tax.

The article points out the main issue is prices of farmland and on-farm structures have skyrocketed over the last two decades, which the tax code has not kept up. The original code was written in 1976, and is outdated. A revamp is necessary, and Congress finally looks ready to address it.

“While the current 2032A reduction is 55 percent higher than the value established two decades ago, USDA estimates that cropland values have increased by 223 percent. Agricultural land values – including on-farm buildings – have also risen dramatically, increasing by 241 percent during this same period. Due to the rapid inflation of farmland values, the 2032A deduction is no longer aligned with the needs of modern agriculture."

Section 2032A was created in 1976 to provide relief from the estate tax for farmers.

But the cap on deductions has not kept pace with rapidly rising farmland values. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association announced support for the Preserving Family Farms Act of 2023.

I am wanting to raise some birds to provide my family with healthier meat and eggs as well as the experience of raising livestock. I have considered various birds including chicken, duck, geese, turkey, guinea, pigeon, quail, muscovy(I may be wrong but I've heard they are not technically ducks but closer to geese?). What is your favorite flavor wise and which do you enjoy raising the most?

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I'm trying to figure out a way to keep a water trough circulating. My pony plays with anything and everything. So, I can't put a anything that'll spray the water upwards or hangs off the back of the trough.

Maybe an aquarium power head/wave maker? He won't mess with cords and I can waterproof the connection to the extension cord.

Any suggestions?