Growing the pork pie takes volume times price

Oct 02, 2023

With beef production shrinking, why aren't we seeing an increase in pork demand? That’s the question Glynn Tonsor has been fielding lately from the pork industry and beyond, and one he doesn’t try to dodge. While increased revenue is needed to grow the industry, the Kansas State University agricultural economics professor and author of the monthly Meat Demand Monitor says attacking another industry “usually doesn't correspond with the mentality of growing the pie.”

“Going back to 2022, we expected changes in the pork industry itself to have a much bigger impact on pork demand than anything that was going on in the beef or in the chicken industry. It's important to note that, based on 2022 data, that specifically because macroeconomics have declined, consumers’ footing, affordability and so forth, it's certainly worse for a lot of households here in September of 23 than it was in 2022,” Tonsor says. “Changes within the U.S. pork industry have a lot larger effect on domestic demand than things are going on in competing industries.”

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Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.