Can You Take Me Higher

Feb 21, 2024

Creed’s song Higher, with its chorus “can you take me higher,” came to mind when learning of the latest increase in farmland values from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Despite many headwinds, farmland values continue to answer Creed’s question with an emphatic “yes”. The latest evidence comes from a survey of commercial bankers by the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. Bank economists Cortney Cowley, Jannety Mosely, and Ty Kreitman report bankers in the Tenth District (Nebraska, western Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, and northern New Mexico) indicated the value for non-irrigated land rose 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to 2022. Values on irrigated and pasture ground exceeded 2022 levels by 7 percent. The increases on non-irrigated and irrigated land in Nebraska were the highest in the district, up 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Pasture ground in Nebraska was up 3 percent.

The growth in land values came despite lower commodity prices, higher interest rates, and reports of financial strain among producers.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.