Although there is a growing list of factors that will disrupt the hog industry, careful planning and risk management can limit the severity of impact on your operations.
By Moe Agostino
The US pork industry is still feeling the impact of Covid-19—from higher feed and fuel costs to a lack of available labor thanks to increasingly threatening macroeconomic and demographic trends.
Structural drivers, such as labor shortages and inflation, will continue to keep the 2022 pork outlook interesting.
Overall, the predicted inflation in 2022 will make profitable operation more challenging for producers and consumers, which could ultimately impact demand for pork.
Regulatory constraints will also raise costs in the year ahead—not only in California with Proposition 12, but with line speeds, immigration, and water use.
However, the big hot topic and top of mind for pork producers, is biosecurity.
Not only the efforts to continue to keep African Swine Fever out of the US, but also to address many of the herd health challenges that many farmers experienced in some key hot regions this past year.
The 1-4-4 strain lingered into the warm, dry summer months of 2021 when virus infection rates typically decrease. It can take as much as 300 days, and 50-60 days longer to remove it out of a herd.
In Q1 of 2022, keeping PRRS 1-7-4, 1-8-4, and 1-4-4 at bay has been an extreme challenge and, in some regions, the number of cases has been both devasting and overwhelming.
To better resolve the issue… [To read the Full Article as it appeared in our Benchmark swine magazine, click HERE.]