Tough Times in Hog Production
There is no question that pig farmers are losing money raising pigs right now. In my opinion, the results of these losses will be fairly substantial. For example, hog farmers that sell weaned pigs are losing significant amounts of money. The price last week for a weaned pig was $26—way below what it costs to produce. Iowa State University is projecting a loss of $32 per head for 2023. And 2024 doesn’t look much better. But, eventually, things will turn around and there will be profits. That is if you can hang on that long.
So what are we seeing? Sow units either shutting down or changing ownership. It’s tough to see as I live in the highest pork producing county in Minnesota. We are going through these changes personally on or farm as the majority ownership in our sow farm decided to shut down the unit almost immediately. Yes, we are part owners, but we are a minority shareholder. So where does that leave us since this has been our source of weaned pigs?
We will buy on the open market. We will not buy into a sow farm after this experience. We have a considerable investment in this sow farm and as of right now, we will walk away with $0. This was not our plan.
We will look and pray to God for his guidance as we move through these changes.
Harvest Updates
The middle of last week we received about 3+ inches of rain over three days. Yes, we need the moisture but it makes us nervous about the harvest delays. We had some minor combine breakdowns, in which one we could fix ourselves (thankfully).
And, sometimes, I might over fill a truck with corn that spills onto the ground. Thankful for my husband who scoops it back into the combine!
We are hoping to start back with corn harvest today. We will have to change the way we harvest a bit as we won’t be able to drive our trucks onto the fields like we did prior to the rain. We will adjust. This is what farmers always do. Adjust.
On a positive note, we love our harvest lunches. It was brought to our attention that not everyone in farm country receives harvest lunches. We are so thankful and appreciative to our businesses that help us out. Thank you to Compeer, Hefty Seeds and Profinium Banks!
Books and Podcasts
I will add a little non-farming content this week. I just finished the Audiobook version of The Power to Change by Craig Groeschel. I really enjoyed it. He talks about making small changes, which then leads into habits. Some of the same concepts as The Atomic Habits, but he inserts the spiritual aspect of making these changes.
I love podcasts and listen to them while driving. Some of my favorite podcasts (links are from Spotify) are The Blogging Millionaire, The Profitable Travel Blogger, A Certain Age, Science Facts and Fallacies, The Think Media Podcast, Eagle Brook Church Podcast, Jon Gordon’s Positive Universe, The Farm CPA Podcast, Dream Big Podcast with Bob Goff, Barn Talk, The Vance Crowe Podcast. Yes, I have quite a varied list. Do you listen to Podcasts? If so, which ones?
Best Chicken Wild Rice Soup
I will leave you today with a favorite soup recipe of mine. Weather is getting colder with the perfect season for soup. Not only do we enjoy it at home, but it is also a very popular soup in northern Minnesota. Enjoy!
Enjoy your week and will talk with you all soon! — Wanda