How Much Is Your Feed? Dr. Joel DeRouchey, Professor and Swine Extension Specialist, Kansas State University, looks at feed efficiency drivers to reduce feed cost, alternative ingredients, and feed processing advancements. His presentation looks at the costs of the various feed options plus seeks to offer means to reduce feed costs. Dr. DeRouchey provides several calculation tables and charts to help farm management teams drive feed efficiency.
The weather is seriously stressing many crops this year. Corn, specifically, is also being stressed because of the demand for biofuel (ethanol) and livestock animal feed.
Dr. Thomas E. Elam, FarmEcon LLC, released a presentation and detailed analysis of why the USA Renewable Fuel Standard, in this current weather and economic environment, needs to have flexibility in its application [background via EPA]. Dr. Elam's key point: Ethanol policy has increased and destabilized corn and related commodity prices [detailed analysis paper PDF] [summary slide deck PDF].
Dr. Bob Wisner, Iowa State University, and Joel Newman, President and CEO of American Feed Industry Association, provide some highlights of the report titled "Future Patterns of U.S. Grains, Biofuels, and Livestock and Poultry Feeding". This is a another report that highlights the conflicts of having corn being used as a feed grain and a source of energy (ethanol): "Biofuels: A Major Driver of the Changing Feed Cost Environment" is one of the first executive summary points [audio] [report PDF].
We're packing for the Pork Industry Forum in Denver next week where the recent request by McDonald's to review supplier sow housing systems and alternatives will be top hall-talk topic. Our conversation with NPPC's Dallas Hockman outlines the issues many haven't thought of.
Dr. Steve Meyer's Iowa presentation on meat demand emphasizes feed costs are key in 2012. Many thanks to Iowa and Minnesota for letting us share these presentations. Let us know if you find them of value and we'll pass that along.
President-Elect of the National Pork Producers Council, Carolina producer R.C. Hunt, joins us to discuss legislation which allows for variation in the Renewable Fuel Standard based on the U.S. corn supply.
Recently I spent a week in London and everywhere I went I noticed how cars were getting smaller and smaller as Londoners faced the skyrocketing cost of fuel. The typical public service worker in London makes about 26k (pound sterling) and the typical private sector worker makes about 35k (pound sterling). They buy their gasoline by the liter and it costs about 4.5 pound sterling a gallon. As I have mentioned, if you are a tourist from the U.S. that's about $9/gallon if you rent a car.
There were a lot of very strange looking conveyances which I suppose classify as cars including the so-called Smart Car. You can check one of these out at www.smartcarpictures.com.