Ag Matters Spring 2020
• 2019 corn, soybean yields decline statewide.............2 • Experiencing the terror of grain entrapment..............4 • New ag chief to fight flooding, boost broadband.......6
A publication of
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Central Illinois leads corn and soybean production as numbers decline across state
Record-wet planting season hurt farmers statewide in 2019 BY BEN ORNER Capitol News Illinois borner@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Central Illinois counties led Illinois in corn and soybean production last year as every region and nearly all counties saw decreases in both crops, according to estimates released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Both production and yields for corn and soybeans fell in nearly every Illinois county for which the USDA has data for the past two years, according to an analysis by Capitol News Illinois. The USDA published county-specific soybean figures for 75 of 102
counties and corn figures for 67 counties. Remaining counties were lumped into regional totals. All nine of Illinois’ crop-growing regions, from the cold and snowy northwest to the temperate southeast, saw production and yields decrease. McLean County, Illinois’ largest by area and a perennial powerhouse in cash crop production, was by far the top producer of corn and soybeans, producing more than 61 million and 18 million bushels, respectively. Fellow central Illinois counties Champaign and Livingston rounded out the top three. “The soil is good here, but is it better than anything in northern Illinois? No. Western Illinois? Probably not,” said Gerald Thompson, who grows thousands of acres of corn and soybeans in the McLean County town of Colfax. A short drive down Interstate 55, Sangamon County topped the state in corn and soybean yields, which is the
average number of bushels produced from an acre of land. Sangamon County farms averaged 206.3 bushels per acre of corn and 65.5 of soybeans. “I think we’re all suited to compete, it’s just more of a weather issue,” Thompson said. Production and yields were down from 2018 across the state — in many places dramatically — after heavy rain and flooding plagued farmers during the spring planting season. Corn production dropped more than 62 percent in Illinois’ southernmost Alexander County, which sits on the conflux of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Another southwestern county, Perry, saw the biggest change in soybean production with 32 percent decrease. Central Illinois’ Douglas County had the biggest drop in corn yields with a 34 percent decrease. Calhoun County, which hugs the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, had the largest drop in soybean yields with
a 48 percent decrease. “Not only do you get the challenges of the water you get,” Thompson said of farming along the Mississippi, “but you get everybody else’s water after about a week or two after it comes down the river, gets out of its banks and floods your fields.” Though McLean County led the state in production, it was not spared by the weather. Soybean production fell nearly 10 percent, while corn production dropped 13 percent. Thompson estimates his yields for both crops were down around 10 percent. “While I’m not singing the blues too bad, I don’t want to in any way take away from those that really did stress,” he said. Four counties for which the USDA had data actually saw yields increase. Soybean yields in Hardin County and Lake County rose 3.46 percent and 16.71 percent, respectively, though both saw decreases in production.
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2019 PRODUCTION (IN BUSHELS) Corn 1. McLean County (61,712,000) 2. Champaign County (48,918,000) 3. Livingston County (46,927,000) 4. Iroquois County (45,786,000) 5. Sangamon County (45,582,000) Soybeans 1. McLean County (18,123,000) 2. Livingston County (16,121,000) 3. Champaign County (13,539,000) 4. LaSalle County (13,315,000) 5. Iroquois County (12,391,000) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture 2019 YIELDS (IN BUSHELS PER ACRE) Corn 1. Sangamon County (206.3) 2. Carroll County (206.1) 3. Morgan County (205.8) communities along the Wabash River. “Preparing for wetter-than-normal conditions to be more common or happen more frequently is something that farmers should be doing
4. Tazewell County (205.6) 5. Cass County (205) Soybeans 1. Sangamon County (65.5) 2. Carroll County (64.7) 3. Morgan County (64.1) 4. Macon County (63.8) 5. Tazewell County (63.8) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture LARGEST PRODUCTION DECREASES, 2018-19 Corn 1. Alexander County (-62.28%) 2. Douglas County (-60.29%) 3. Macon County (-49.67%) 4. Jefferson County (-48.87%) 5. Monroe County (-34.74%) Soybeans 1. Perry County (-32.19%) 2. Clay County (-28.57%) in Illinois,� state climatologist Dr. Trent Ford told Capitol News Illinois in January. Ford added that scientists attribute these increasingly wet conditions to climate change.
3. Effingham County (-28.57%) 4. Jefferson County (-27.24%) 5. Cumberland County (-24.70%) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture LARGEST YIELD DECREASES, 2018-19 Corn 1. Douglas County (-34.31%) 2. Effingham County (-26.06%) 3. Clay County (-25.78%) 4. Crawford County (-25.0%) 5. Alexander County (-23.46%) Soybeans 1. Calhoun County (-48.01%) 2. Hardin County (-41.04%) 3. Jackson County (-39.78%) 4. Marion County (-36.80%) 5. Clay County (-36.62%) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture “The connections there are pretty strong,� Ford said. Despite the decreases in crop production, Illinois retains its status as America’s top soybean state and second-ranked corn state, behind Iowa.
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No county saw an increase in soybean production as Lake County fared the best with a 1.95 percent decrease. Corn yields rose in Winnebago County (4.01 percent) and Madison County (0.25 percent). Another three counties saw production increase: Marshall (5.28 percent), Sangamon (1.95 percent) and Gallatin (1.59 percent). The numbers are the first county-level glimpse into the plight of Illinois’ top two crops after statewide production totals released in January showed a 20 percent drop in soybean production and an 18 percent drop in corn. Illinois last year saw its wettest January through June on record. Corn and soybeans are usually planted in the late spring, especially May. Unfortunately for farmers, the state’s wettest May on record forced many to wait until June and even July to put seeds in the ground. “We made an extra effort to get ready for spring 2020,� said Thompson, who didn’t finish planting last year until mid-June. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration predicts a wetter-than-normal March through May for the entire state this year, especially southeastern Illinois
2019 Illinois crop year statistics for corn and soybeans
Shaw Media / March 2020
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MANLIUS
Experiencing terror of grain entrapment Serious issue dealt with in film and demonstration BY JEANNINE OTTO AgriNews Publications/Shaw Media MANLIUS — For Bureau Valley High School FFA members Bre Broers and Jason Carrington, it was a sinking feeling. “Once I was down in the grain and they started pushing the corn on top of me, I was like, ‘I don’t like this much.’ You don’t realize what it’s like,” Broers said. Carrington, who lives on a farm, agreed. “You lose all movement and then you start losing feeling and the pressure gets deeper and deeper,” said the Bureau Valley High School sophomore. Broers, Carrington and several of their fellow Bureau Valley High School FFA members took turns being the victim engulfed in grain and rescuers. The students, coached by members of Stateline Farm Rescue, surrounded the victim trapped in grain with a metal cofferdam grain tube, then dug out corn from around them using hardhats. Scott Larson, a firefighter with the Madison, Wis., fire department and a member of Stateline Farm Rescue, led the rescue efforts and explained the dangers of grain bin entrapment to the students and others gathered at a warehouse owned by Nutrient Ag Solutions Manlius/ Walnut. Crowded onto two small metal platforms surrounding the mock bin and trapped victim, Larson and those volunteering to help rescue had a bird’s-eye view of how difficult an actual rescue can be. “We had some good discussions up there on safety precautions if they would ever be in a grain bin, what they should and shouldn’t do, how to get help if someone is trapped,” Larson said. Earlier, the students joined around 300 other guests, including volunteer firefighters and emergency services providers from the local area, as well as members of the public and ag community at Bureau Valley High School for a screening of the film “Silo.”
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ABOVE: Bre Broers, a junior at Bureau Valley High School, plays the role of a victim being engulfed in grain. Demonstrations of grain bin engulfments and rescues were conducted following a screening of “Silo,” the 2019 movie about a teenager engulfed in grain and the hours that follow. Broers and other members of the Bureau Valley High School FFA took turns rescuing and playing the part of the victim.
LEFT: With Bureau Valley High School freshman Bailey Broers as the victim in a mock grain entrapment, an instructor from Stateline Farm Rescue instructs other members of the Bureau Valley FFA on the first steps to take to secure Broers and start freeing him from entrapment in grain. The rescue demonstrations by Stateline Farm Rescue were hosted by Nutrien Ag Solutions Manlius/Walnut.
Shaw Media photos/Jeannine Otto
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Lock out, tag out is a procedure used in agriculture and other industries to make sure that machinery is turned off and that it cannot be turned on again.
Shaw Media photos/Jeannine Otto
Workers with Stateline Farm Rescue hand up sections of the Great Wall of Rescue, a cofferdam that assembles in sections around a victim. After the pieces are fitted together, rescuers can push the sections down and vacuum the grain out, freeing the victim for rescue. Jared Doty, a firefighter and paramedic with Princeton Firefight-
ers Local 4308, comes from a farm background himself. He said recent
tragedies inspired the move to bring “Silo” to Bureau County. “We’ve had a string of these incidents in the past year and a half time frame. We just really saw a need to bring awareness to the community to hopefully prevent this from happening again,” Doty said. Doty said in rural areas, a call for a grain bin entrapment or other farm accident hits close to home for many first responders. “They are all neighbors. They are all friends. They are all somebody you know, and it just hits a lot harder for someone who has an ag background or who comes from a farm,” Doty said.
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The film chronicles the fictional grain bin entrapment of teenager Cody Rose and the ensuing efforts to rescue him, as well as the toll the event takes on people involved, from the manager of the elevator and his elderly father to Rose’s mother and the local fire chief. Evan Hultine, president of Bureau County Farm Bureau, welcomed guests to the Bureau Valley High School auditorium for the Feb. 24 event. “Sometimes I think we are too eager to jump in and handle it ourselves, put some of the safety issues aside. All too often, rescues turn into recoveries very quickly,” Hultine said. Bureau County has seen two grain bin-related deaths, one in 2018 and one in October 2019. Earlier this year, a man was pulled alive from a grain bin near Dixon in Lee County. “I think the fact that there are over 300 people here is indicative of the fact that people understand this is a really serious issue and something we need to seek resolution on,” Hultine said. Major sponsors of the event were Princeton Firefighters Local 4308, which sponsored the movie screening, Bureau County Farm Bureau and the SharkFarmer Podcast.
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
New ag director says fighting flooding, boosting broadband among top priorities Jerry Costello II talks agenda, ethics, trade wars during interview BY BEN ORNER Capitol News Illinois borner@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Jerry Costello II has some decorating to do in his office. The new director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture still had framed pictures stacked against a wall in his mostly-empty corner office in Springfield during a recent interview. You could forgive him, though; He’s been on the job only since March 2. Among the few things on Costello’s desk are a family portrait and an old dairy cowbell passed down to him
through generations. “Agriculture is a passion of mine,” he said during an interview March 4. “It’s something that’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.” Costello, 51, is just getting settled in, but he says he has a clear vision for the ag department, including uniting stakeholders, expanding the department’s initiatives and working with Gov. J.B. Pritzker to support farmers and rural communities.
Farming and family Costello II, son of 12-term U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello, was born and raised in Belleville in a family with a rich agricultural history in southern Illinois. His great grandfather operated a dairy farm in Sesser, while his grandfather ran an orchard and raised beef cattle.
Illinois’ new ag director, Jerry Costello II (left), listens to a corn farmer during his time as a state representative. Costello served more than five years as chairman of the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee.
Capitol News Illinois file photo
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Ethics Costello’s appointment came after Pritzker requested the resignation of previous ag Director John Sullivan, who was ousted for failing
Working with the governor Costello was not a stranger to Pritzker when his administration asked if he was interested in the job. Costello served on the governor-elect’s agriculture transition committee in 2018. “We have a very good relationship,” Costello said. “I am extremely pleased to work with him and for him.” Costello said he expects to be a main courier of Pritzker’s $420 million plan to expand broadband inter-
net throughout the state in a program called Connect Illinois. The initiative would especially impact rural and agricultural communities by connecting people to educational, health and business resources with high-speed internet. “If we want to keep up with the future, and we want to educate rural kids properly, we’ve got to have the technology to do it,” Costello said.
Flooding and climate change Another issue Pritzker has made a priority is addressing climate change. Illinois farmers suffered through record precipitation during last year’s spring planting season, which scientists including state climatologist Dr. Trent Ford have connected to climate change. Flooded fields delayed plantings and decreased corn and soybean production by about 20 percent. “I believe that it’s absolutely happening,” Costello said of climate change. “You’re living in a shell if you don’t realize something different is going on right now.” Costello’s former House district, a chunk of southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River, was heavily impacted. Corn and soybean production in the district’s main counties, Monroe and Randolph, dropped around 30 percent last year. “One of the things that we’ve got to
make sure that we’re doing is we’re working with the federal government to maximize what we can as far as making sure our farmers are protected,” he said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts this spring will be wetter than normal, which does not bode well for farmers as water tables are high and soil is saturated from winter precipitation. “We’re working very hard in the near term to address and fight flooding such as it may be this spring,” Pritzker told reporters on March 3 after an event with Costello. “Rebuilding our levees and protecting our basic infrastructure is a top priority.”
Initiatives on his mind Costello said one of his top priorities will be to expand a program launched last year that encourages farmers to grow cover crops, which are planted between cash crop seasons to protect soil and manage erosion. That also includes working with soil and water conservation districts to ensure that “from an environmental standpoint, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we’re getting the best yields for farmers, but at the same point in time, leaving the earth in the best possible state.”
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“Every other weekend I spent on my grandfather’s farm,” Costello said. Costello graduated from Southern Illinois University and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the famed 82nd Airborne Division in Operation Desert Storm. After returning home, he began a career in law enforcement, rising from a patrolman to assistant police chief. He was the top cop at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources when Pritzker tapped him as ag director. Bolstering the Democrat’s ag experience is the nearly eight years he spent in the Illinois House of Representatives, which included more than five years working with farmers and agriculture groups as chairman of the Agriculture and Conservation Committee. “I think those relationships that I’ve built over the years have helped me to get to a point where I’m very effective at moving agriculture forward in the state of Illinois,” he said.
to disclose the contents of a 2012 email that pointed to a possible cover-up of a “rape in Champaign” and “ghost workers” in Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration. “I have a good relationship with John Sullivan,” Costello said. Sullivan chaired the Senate’s agriculture committee when Costello chaired in the House. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said, “but we are where we are and we’re moving forward.” Though Costello said he doesn’t read every email he receives because he has at times gotten thousands in a day, he said he has a reputation of being “very ethical.” “I can assure you that there was a very in-depth background review before the governor and his team offered the appointment,” Costello said.
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ball and giving temporary aid, but we’ve got to have long-term relationships in place in order for the product to maintain what it’s worth,” Costello said. He also did not express confidence in the administration’s negotiation strategies. “I don’t know what the interests are at this point in time,” Costello said. “I would like to say that I do. I’m not in a position right now to make that judgment.”
• DIRECTOR Continued from Page 7 “At the end of the day,” he said, “the most important part of this industry is leaving it in a position to where we can pass it on to future generations.” Other initiatives on the top of Costello’s mind are expanding the state’s new hemp program and helping urban communities grow fresh fruits and vegetables in so-called food deserts. “We can help in a number of ways and work with people that maybe aren’t considered traditional farmers,” he said. Costello says he wants to bring ag stakeholders together, from farmers to consumers to groups affected by the industry. He also wants to educate people about agriculture’s importance to Illinois’ economy, showing how everything is connected from planter to dinner plate. “You’ve got producers and users,” Costello said, “one really cannot survive or be without the other.”
Trade war uncertainty Illinois farmers have been hit hard by a trade war with China that enters its third year this spring. The Trump administration signed the first phase of a trade agreement
Awaiting confirmation
Capitol News Illinois photo/Ben Orner
“Agriculture is a passion of mine,” Jerry Costello II said in a recent interview. “It’s something that’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.” Costello was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. in January, however the president said he will not lift America’s tariffs until phase two is completed. “What’s very concerning to me,” Costello said, is how the Trump administration’s trade negotiations might be straining America’s rela-
tionship with China. During the trade war, China has found other partners to meet its demand of top Illinois exports like pork and soybeans. “You can put Band-Aids on this stuff by taking people’s eye off the
Costello is technically the “acting” director until the Senate Executive Committee votes to confirm him. The committee, chaired by state Sen. Antonio Munoz, D-Chicago, consists of eight Democrats and four Republicans. A spokesperson for Munoz said the committee “looks forward to reviewing his credentials” within the window of 60 session days it has to vote. Costello hopes the record of bipartisanship he says he built as House ag committee chairman secures his confirmation. “It’s about working together,” he said. “We were able to work together to get a lot of things done for farmers in the state.” In the meantime, maybe Costello can find some time to hang those pictures.
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Despite talk of factory farms, statistics show there are a lot of family trees in farm fields BY MARTHA BLUM AgriNews Publications/Shaw Media KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Family farms represent 98 percent of all farms and 88 percent of production in the United States. Those numbers are included in the “America’s Diverse Family Farms — 2019 Edition” report which describes characteristics of the 2 million farms. “The report includes what the farms produce, farm profitability, receipts of government payments and participation in agricultural federal programs, which is important to understanding the farm sector,” said Christine Whitt, agricultural economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS). The data included in this report was collected in the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey. “ERS is USDA’s primary source of information on farm businesses and associated household principal operators,” Whitt said. “Principal operators are those who are most responsible for running the farm.” USDA defines a farm as any place that sold at least $1,000 worth of farm products in a given year. “The farm sector consists of a wide variety of farms — very small farms with little sales, mid-size farms with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of sales and large farms with millions of dollars of sales,” Whitt said. “A family farm is any farm where more than 50 percent of the busi-
ness is owned and operated by an operator and individuals related to one operator,” Whitt said. “The majority of farms are small family farms, but large-scale farms have the largest share of the value of production,” Whitt said. “Small farms represent 90 percent of all farms, 48 percent of acres operated and 21 percent of production, whereas large-scale family farms represent 2.7 percent of farms, but account for the largest share of production, at 45.4 percent on 19.5 percent total acres operated.” Small farms produce 56 percent of poultry production, which includes eggs, as well as 50 percent of the U.S. hay production. “Midsize and large family farms account for the majority of cotton, cash grains and oilseed production,” Whitt said. “Large-scale family farms produce the majority of dairy, and non-family farms and large-scale farms produce the bulk of high value crops and beef.” Many family households combine farm and off-farm income. “Over 41 percent of U.S. family farmers fall into the off-farm occupation typology class and over 80 percent of those operators work off farm as do 60 percent of their spouses,” Whitt said. “Principal operators of large-scale family farms are less likely to work off the farm than operators of small and midsize family farms — 11 percent of principal operators of large farms and 3 percent of very large farms held off-farm jobs,” Whitt said.
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LIVESTOCK FARMING | DAIRY
Got milk money? Not as much in Illinois anymore Dairy production is down, but farmers trying to keep their bottom line healthy
Illinois continues to lose dairy farms. The volume of milk produced in the state slipped 7 percent in the past year.
Photo contributed
BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeekNow.com Farmers at the annual Illinois Dairy Summit in Bloomington considered options to improve their bottom lines. And for good reason. The recent upturn in milk prices could tail off through winter. This, after a multiyear run of tight margins and losses forced some farmers out of business. “Things are really changing,” Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois Animal Sciences professor emeritus said at the summit Feb. 5. The annual event was hosted by the Illinois Milk Producers Association (IMPA) and U of I Extension. “We’ve lost 9 percent of our dairies,” he noted. “And, we’re losing
market share in Illinois.” Illinois dairies totaled about 565, including 520 Grade A operations, to start the year. The number of milk cows in the state totaled 81,000 as of Jan. 1, down 4 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, the volume of milk produced in the state slipped 7 percent in the past year. “We are still losing dairy farms here in Illinois,” said Tasha Bunting, IMPA manager. “Hopefully, that’s coming to a slowdown and we’ll see that start turning around.” Class III milk prices surged to $20.19 per hundredweight in December but fell to $17.04 in January. The
lower milk prices currently are projected to linger until around April. So, what can dairy farmers do to survive another round of lean times? Hutjens suggested maximizing efficiencies, considering alternative feed solutions, building up the milk check based on premiums or even investigating other possible streams of income as the industry continues to consolidate. Dairies with herds of 1,000 head or larger currently generate nearly 65 percent of milk in the U.S., while those in the 50 to 199-head range produce 16 percent of the milk. “Some are going to have to make a decision about how they’re going
to compete with larger farms,” Hutjens said. Many dairies, for instance, increased milkings from two to three times per day, while others installed robotic milkers to improve efficiency and reduce labor costs. Paul Kilgus, of Kilgus Farmstead in Fairbury, in Livingston County, discussed how his family farm established its own brand of milk and built a market for beef, pork and meat goats. “It’s hard to just milk 100 cows and make a living anymore,” Kilgus told fellow farmers at the summit. “You have to think outside the box. I think that’s where we’re at in agriculture.” The Kilgus family feeds out its Jersey steers to sell local beef. A number of their customers prefer it to the Angus beef also produced on the Kilgus farm. “We feel this has brought a lot of added value to the farm,” Kilgus said. The family currently milks about 150 registered Jersey cows each day and utilizes a rotational grazing system of about 70 acres.
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Swine breeding inventory has risen
The pig nursery is shown at the Sturtevant farm in rural Shannon. Some experts believe U.S. hog production could reach record levels in 2020, with Illinois pork producers sharing in that growth.
BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeekNow.com U.S. hog production could reach record levels again this year — and a good portion of that growth could occur in Illinois, where the swine breeding inventory reached 590,000 head as of Dec. 1, up 30,000 head from a year ago. Overall, the national breeding herd totaled 6.46 million hogs as of last month, up 135,000 head from the same time last year, according to USDA’s quarterly hogs and pigs report released Dec. 23. “This report gives a view of what the supply outlook is for (this) year,” Altin Kalo, senior analyst with Steiner Consulting Group, said during a teleconference hosted by the National Pork Board. “One thing that determines the supply is the size of the breeding herd. And, chances are, we’ll have more hogs down the road,” he noted.
Shaw Media photo/ Michael Krabbenhoeft “When you look at where the growth came from, the biggest growth was from Illinois.” The anticipated growth of the swine herd continues a trend in recent years. The inventory of all hogs and pigs as of Dec. 1 totaled 77.3 million head, up 3 percent from last year and a record for the quarter. Efficiency also reached an all-time high as the average pigs saved per
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litter last quarter totaled a record 11.09 compared to 10.76 the previous year. In Illinois, all hogs and pigs totaled 5.35 million head last month, up 1 percent from the previous quarter but down 1 percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, hog slaughter during a recent 28-week stretch increased 5.5 percent from the previous year as more animals moved through the
system, Bob Brown, president of Bob Brown Consulting, noted. “The last year says to me U.S. pork producers started expanding around August 2018, which is about the first we heard the news of ASF (African swine fever) in China,” Brown said. ASF decimated an estimated half of the swine herd in China, the largest consumer of pork in the world. U.S. pork exports increased there, but the lion’s share of new sales to China were gobbled up by the European Union in the past year as American pork was sidelined due to trade restrictions. The EU shipped 2.5 times the volume of pork to China through October than the U.S., Canada and Brazil combined, according to Brown. “The U.S. pork industry is missing out on an unprecedented sales opportunity in China when it most needs an affordable, safe and reliable supply of its favored protein,” said David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “The United States is the lowest-cost producer of pork in the world but, with tariffs, we are not as competitive.”
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AG MATTERS | Shaw Media / March 2020
State could have record year in hog production
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Shaw Media / March 2020
| AG MATTERS
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