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Drought Expanding South Of The Border

Crops in the U.S. are looking OK for now, however drought continues to expand.

Ben Buckner is a grains analyst with AgResource Company.

"Moisture demand is not very high and soil moisture, up until maybe the middle part of May, was OK. It's changing very quickly. We're hearing of some water use rates of half to 6/10ths of an inch per day, which you can't even offset with irrigation. Drought continues to expand, will expand further assuming two week forecasts verify. The real message is that moisture accumulation so far, since about late winter, has been on pace with 2012, which if you remember was a devastating drought in the U.S. I don't think widespread catastrophe is the most probable scenario, but crops will be going backwards over the next 2 weeks and the big question is whether July weather improves."

The USDA released its June WASDE report Thursday. Buckner says the report came across mostly as expected.

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Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

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In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.