livestock industry

For the past 12 years, Alltech has taken a look at the global feed industry on an annual basis. The latest snapshot was released last week as part of the 2023 Agri-Food Outlook.

Overall, the numbers show world feed production remained steady in 2022 with a slight decrease of 0.42% to 1.266 billion metric tons. 

Feed production increased in several regions, including Latin America (1.6%), North America (0.88%) and Oceania (0.32%), while Europe decreased by 4.67%, Africa by 3.86% and the Asia-Pacific region also dropped 0.51%.

Globally, increases in feed tonnage were reported in the aquaculture, broiler, layer and pet food sectors, while decreases were reported in the beef, dairy and pig sectors.

Although it experienced a narrow reduction in feed production, China remains the largest feed-producing country in the world, followed by the United States and Brazil, according to the survey.

Joining us today is to provide his insight on the current global situation related to agriculture and to provide his perspective on 2023 Agri-Food Outlook is Alltech CEO and President Dr. Mark Lyons. Dr. Lyons also shares an update on this year’s ONE Conference which will be taking on a more global approach. 

This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is sponsored by Alltech, where the focus is on working together for a planet of plenty.  To learn more about the One Conference visit https://one.alltech.com.

What does the future of agriculture look like? It’s a question often pondered as one year draws to a close and another dawns, with prognosticators thinking about everything from market outlook and economic conditions to questions of technology, innovation, and the rate of change in the business.

Aidan Connolly, a long-time feed industry leader now working as an investor in the ag-tech space via his AgriTech Capital firm, recently published a book tackling the question of “The Future of Agriculture.” The book offers information that will help readers from a range of backgrounds to

• Find ways to protect, maintain and prudently deploy limited resources; and
• Map technological innovation to produce foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of a burgeoning population; and
• Ensure that food and farming evolve in ways that will also ensure the sustainability of the planet’s natural resources.

Connolly focuses on practical answers and specific examples, innovative ideas and new concepts, and thought leadership across a rich array of technologies. Sorted by both technologies and species, with local examples and a global perspective, it offers readers a unique snapshot of a food and farm industry in mid-evolution, providing insight, context, and framing for the coming changes.

Congress intervened this week in an effort to avert an economy-crippling rail strike. What does the labor conflict mean for agriculture, and the feed industry in general? And what does the situation tell us about vulnerabilities to the U.S. logistics infrastructure system?

Late Thursday, the Senate approved a resolution to implement a tentative agreement brokered by the Biden administration with rail labor unions and management. The House approved the measure on Nov. 30, and it now heads to President Biden’s desk for signature.

A few hours prior to the Senate’s vote, Feedstuffs spoke with Max Fisher, chief economist at the National Grain and Feed Association, about what the possibility of a strike meant for the feed industry and the broader agriculture industry. He explained the situation, how the parties arrived at a place requiring the federal government to get involved, and the long-term prospectus for labor relations in the rail space.

More broadly, Fisher discussed the current state of the commodity logistics chain, from challenges facing our inland waterways, a lingering lack of truck drivers, and now the vulnerabilities facing the rail system.

A few hours after our conversation with Fisher, the Senate approved a measure to implement a tentative agreement to avert the strike, which NFGA, the American Feed Industry Association, the Soy Transportation Coalition, and other relevant industry groups hailed as an important step in averting a national crisis. 

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting their website UnitedANH.com.

In this episode of Feedstuffs Precision Pork, Mark Hulsebus, Swine Commercial Director at Cargill, offers some animal feed and hog market perspective. The headwinds of inflation dramatically altered the opportunity to lock in profits in the pork sector over the course of the summer, and now the grain markets are in "wait and see" mode until getting some more empirical data from combines rolling across the Corn Belt. 

Hulsebus discusses the current demand picture for pork and what that's meant for lean hog futures, and provides an outlook on  what the profit picture looks like over the next 12 months and where opportunities to lock in profits might exist.

These are uncertain times, and it will pay dividends to be well-prepared. If you have questions on this week’s episode or want to discuss something not covered, feel free to ASK MARK at mark_hulsebus@cargill.com.

Also, click HERE to subscribe to the Cargill Pig Flash weekly eNewsletter.

Plan today for tomorrow’s success.

Follow Feedstuffs Precision Pork on your favorite podcast platform or find it on www.Feedstuffs.com and  www.NationalHogFarmer.com.

In this episode of Feedstuffs Precision Pork, Mark Hulsebus, Swine Commercial Director at Cargill, offers some animal feed and hog market perspective. The corn market may have found a top in the first half of 2022, but the markets are wound tight enough that any weather disruptions this summer bear watching. 

Hulsebus also discusses the potential for food price inflation to temper meat demand heading into the heart of summer grilling season as consumers struggle with the higher cost of... everything.

Finally, Hulsebus provides an update on the outlook for swine production profitability given the ongoing uncertainty in Eastern Europe and how that has roiled the feed markets, and why the forward profit curve is telling producers to take advantage of opportunities now... because Q4 and Q1 of next year will likely bring red ink.

These are uncertain times, and it will pay dividends to be well-prepared. If you have questions on this week’s episode or want to discuss something not covered, feel free to ASK MARK at mark_hulsebus@cargill.com.

Also, click HERE to subscribe to the Cargill Pig Flash weekly eNewsletter.

Plan today for tomorrow’s success.

Follow Feedstuffs Precision Pork on your favorite podcast platform or find it on www.Feedstuffs.com and  www.NationalHogFarmer.com.

Animal agriculture is lagging when it comes to investment dollars. Why is that? 

In this episode we talk with Aidan Connolly of AgriTech Capital to get his thoughts on what the industry can do to catch up with other sectors in attracting investment.

Keeping the U.S. pork supply safe and secure from the threat of Foreign Animal Disease – and preparing to maintain continuity of business should such an outbreak occur – is one of the key concerns of industry leaders. Stakeholders from across the pork value chain have been working diligently on plans and processes, redoubling efforts with regard to biosecurity and traceability in recent years.

Creating a system of cooperation and collaboration to prevent – or prepare for - foreign animal disease challenges has been one of the main areas of focus for the National Pork Board. Outgoing President of the Board Gene Noem, a producer from Iowa, sat down with Feedstuffs at World Pork Expo in Des Moines this week to discuss the challenge and the work he and his fellow farmer-leaders have done via the Pork Checkoff.

Stay tuned for our coverage of World Pork Expo in the pages of Feedstuffs – just visit Feedstuffs.com and click on “digital editions” – or watch interviews with industry leaders like Gene via our livestream video channel, Feedstuffs365.com and via our social media channels at Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

One of the top leaders of the global feed industry previews an upcoming feed and livestock industry conference, in this edition of Feedstuffs In Focus.

Dr. Mark Lyons is president and CEO of Alltech, one of the largest players in the global feed industry, and the driving force behind the Alltech ONE Conference. In this episode Dr. Lyons previews the event, held in-person for the first time since 2019.

This episode is sponsored by Alltech, host of the Alltech ONE Conference, coming up May 22-24 both in Lexington, Ky., and virtually from anywhere around the world. Together we can spark meaningful change as we enter a new golden age of agri-food. The Alltech ONE Conference unites changemakers and thought leaders in a collaborative exploration of solutions within agribusiness and beyond. Learn more and register at one.alltech.com.

Researchers at Kansas State and Ohio State universities recently calculated that performance gaps between barrows and gilts cost integrated swine operations as much as $5.12 per gilt, a significant cost you might think of as “The Gilt Gap.”

Dr. Jason Woodworth, a nutritionist at Kansas State University, and Dr. Ben Bohrer, a meat scientist at The Ohio State University, conducted a statistical analysis of the combined results of 34 peer-reviewed scientific studies representing almost 16,000 pigs.

The study showed gilts were associated with 5.9% lower average daily gain, 11.4% lower average daily feed intake and 4.3% better feed efficiency rate compared with barrows. In this episode, Dr. Woodworth and his post-doctoral research associate Dr. Jamil Faccin share their findings about “the gilt gap” and what producers need to know about the gilts in their operation.

RELATED: Read more about the gilt gap at Feedstuffs.com, or watch our recent Feedstuffs 365 interview with swine industry consultant Steve Pollmann for some insights into the practical implications of the study.

Next month the Animal Agriculture Alliance will be under the leadership of a new president and CEO. 

The Alliance, a decades-old consortium of trade associations, companies and other stakeholder groups in the food animal sector, recently announced the promotion of Hannah Thompson-Weeman, the organization’s current vice president of strategic engagement, following the departure of its longtime president, Kay Johnson Smith. Johnson Smith, who has served as president and CEO across three decades, is joining the executive leadership team at Dairy MAX, a regional dairy council representing farmers in eight states in the southern and southwestern U.S. 

In this episode, we talk with Thompson-Weeman about the mission of the Alliance, how the societal conversation regarding animal welfare has evolved over the past 30 years, and her vision for the future of the organization.

Environmental compliance, right-to-farm laws, contracting issues and more. Agriculture is not without its legal risk management challenges, particularly in the livestock sector. What strategies can producers adopt to protect themselves from potential liability and litigation?

At the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., last month, attorney Paul Goeringer presented a workshop on understanding legal strategies used to avoid litigation in an ever-evolving regulatory environment. Goerginger is a Senior Faculty Specialist and the Extension Legal Specialist at the University of Maryland, and we sat down with him to discuss what livestock and poultry producers need to understand when it comes to legal risks and how best to manage those within their operations.

This episode is sponsored by Novus International, Inc., a leader in swine, poultry and dairy nutrition solutions driven by science. Novus’ products and services look at the whole animal, focusing on productivity and well-being, in order to feed the world affordable and wholesome food.

For more information, visit Novus’ website at www.novusint.com

You can see more of Feedstuffs' coverage of the Midwest Poultry Convention by visiting our video channel, Feedstuffs 365. Also watch your inbox for the latest dynamic digital edition of Feedstuffs, or access the issue by visiting Feedstuffs.com and clicking on “digital editions.”

Despite strong growth in both the agriculture and construction sectors over the past 18 months, fewer equipment companies are optimistic about that growth trend continuing in 2022, particularly given the ongoing issues with inflation, workforce shortages and supply chain disruptions. With costs on the rise across the manufacturing and logistics sectors, is long-term growth in agricultural equipment sustainable?

Benjamin Duyck is the director of market intelligence for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, an organization representing more than 1,000 North American construction and agriculture equipment manufacturers and their value chain partners. Duyck spoke with Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead about what his organization’s research suggests about the state of the economy, as well as how AEM members feel about the outlook for growth in the industry.

This episode is sponsored by Novus International, Inc. — a leader in poultry, dairy and swine nutrition solutions driven by science. Novus’ products and services look at the whole animal, focusing on productivity and well-being, in order to feed the world affordable and wholesome food.

For more information, visit Novus’s website at www.novusint.com

The COVID-19 pandemic created a complex and confusing labor market on a national scale, and the agriculture sector is feeling the strain both literally and figuratively. Combatting employee burnout is critical to the bottom line of the business, and something that isn’t easily done given the generational diversity seen in the modern workforce.

While much of the current labor challenge centers on simply finding enough people to get the job done, one of the bigger issues stems from current employees facing the very real issue of burnout. With fewer people to get the job done, coupled with persistent stressors at home and in the workplace, many workers are quite simply at their wits’ end. 

What can managers and business owners do to help support these employees and help them achieve the seemingly mythical work-life balance? In this episode, Feedstuffs poses that question to business consultant Melissa Furman, the former assistant dean and current faculty member at the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. Dr. Furman, in addition to her consulting work with businesses in a variety of industries, has a background in academic research on issues of generational diversity, unconscious bias, career and leadership development, emotional intelligence, and assisting technical professionals transition into management roles. 

This episode of Feedstuffs In Focus is sponsored by Topigs Norsvin, the second largest swine genetics company in the world. The TN70 is the flagship parent sow of Topigs Norsvin, described as being a self-reliant sow capable of raising her own pigs and requiring less human intervention in the farrowing house. When challenged with finding qualified employees, hire the TN70. Visit tn70.topigsnorsvin.com to see what producers are saying about their experience with the TN70. 

Animal welfare has long been a topic of discussion, and even some debate, across the food sector and within agriculture but when both sectors can come together to discuss moving forward, it’s a powerful thing.

That is exactly what took place this week in Orlando, Fla., and Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead was on hand and had the opportunity to catch up with symposium organizer Angela Baysinger, DVM, MS, MSc, North America Animal Welfare Lead on Merck Animal Health’s Veterinary & Consumer Affairs Team. 

In this week’s episode, they discuss the key learnings and takeaways from the meeting and share thoughts on what the group learned from a visit to the local zoo to talk with the welfare specialist there where the animals are always in front of the public.

This episode was sponsored by Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production and their #ScienceHearted podcast, “Food Chain Chats. In the latest episode, hear from Dr. Sangita Jalukar, Technical Services Manager at ARM & HAMMER, about recent groundbreaking cytotoxicity research and the “PPR” approach to helping animals battle mycotoxin challenges – from the inside out. Listen and subscribe to “Food Chain Chats” wherever you find your favorite podcasts. 

Bacteria are all around us, and the role these microorganisms play in our environment – both on the farm and inside the animals themselves, is an increasingly important area of study in animal science.

Quorum sensing is bacteria’s unique biochemical communication system. It’s how bacteria interact and talk with each other. Understanding how that communication works and how we can use it in a variety of applications is a new frontier in animal health and wellbeing.

To explore how quorum sensing science works and what benefits it offers the dairy industry, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talked with Dr. Jeff Brose, director of technical services with AHV International out of Fort Collins, Colorado, to find out more. 

Prior to joining AHV International, Brose served as a consultant as AHV prepared to enter the U.S. market. He previously held positions with Cargill and Monsanto after managing his own private veterinary practice.

Uterine prolapse is a serious issue of concern to swine producers. A 2018 Iowa State University study involving 400,000 commercials sows found that vaginal or uterine prolapse accounted for 15% of all sow mortalities during the study period, and earlier research found that all pelvic organ prolapses cost producers roughly $5,220 per 1,000 sows per year.

What hasn’t been as well understood until more recent research is the various factors influencing the incidence of uterine prolapse in the sow herd.

In this episode we talk with Dr. Jenelle Dunkelberger, a geneticist with Topigs Norsvin, about those factors and specifically about recent research into the role genetics play in the incidence of uterine prolapse.

This episode of Feedstuffs In Focus is sponsored by Topigs Norsvin, the second largest swine genetics company in the world. Topigs Norsvin’s unique breeding program is designed to accelerate genetic progress at the customer level by creating innovative products and solutions that benefit the entire pork production chain. To get more information, visit TopigsNorsvin.us. For any questions or additional information about the work Topigs Norsvin has done to implement selection against uterine prolapse, email info@topigsnorsvin.us.

Winter Storm Uri, the latest in a series of winter storms this month, pummeled much of the Heartland, from deep into Texas on through the High Plains and across the Midwest. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 73% of the Lower 48 states was covered in snow by Wednesday — the largest snowcover for a single day since NOAA began tracking this data in 2003.

With extreme cold temperatures lasting far longer than normal in several regions affected by the storm, the implications for livestock producers and marketers are significant. During a Feedstuffs 365 live panel this week, Dennis Smith with Archer Financial predicted that cattle slaughter will likely drop 40,000 head this week due to the situation. 

Although most of the issues with plant shutdowns are happening in Texas due to the significant strain placed on the state’s electric grid, plants in Kansas were also being idled, shut down, or slowed.

In this episode we talk with Oklahoma State University agricultural economist Derrell Peel, who was – in his words – hunkered down due to the storm during our conversation. He provides some insights into what cattle and hog producers are up against, and what it might mean for cattle and hog slaughter, as well as how the extreme weather might affect consumer meat demand in the coming days.

RELATED STORY: Winter Storm Uri batters agriculture supply chain

Jonnie talks about the trigger of his transformation from face-stuffing beef eater to face stuffing Vegan, and how, and why, he sustains a Vegan lifestyle. 

While the world has been focused on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, a small but diverse group of members of the food supply chain gathered to evaluate if there are enough shared goals and beliefs on climate policy to speak on the issue with a unified voice for agriculture.

In the past, climate legislation has failed in the U.S. in no small measure because the agriculture and forestry industries weren’t unified on the issue, and didn’t have a seat at the table. In an effort to correct that, the Food & Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) was formed in February 2020 by four groups that now co-chair the alliance: American Farm Bureau Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and National Farmers Union. The alliance has since expanded to include FMI – The Food Industry Assn., National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy.

In this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus, Feedstuffs policy editor Jacqui Fatka talks with Chuck Connor, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, about the work of the Alliance, including the more than 40 recommendations the group developed on climate policy this year. 

RELATED STORY: Unlikely bedfellows unite on ag climate policy

This episode is sponsored by Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health. Balchem has launched a new podcast called the Real Science Exchange. Get to know top researchers like you’ve never known them before: Search for “Real Science Exchange” on your favorite podcast platform.

For more information on this and other stories, visit  Feedstuffs  online.
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