Pork producers can only pass along the higher production costs if they collectively reduce production, he said. For the pork industry to survive, Hayes said hog production will have to decrease. ISU economist says pork producers will have to decrease production. This industry is very good at exporting pork, but if our costs increase annually more than our competitors, we could lose some of that market, Hayes said. This will make pork less expensive in those markets and perhaps stimulate...

Accumulated beef production was up 6 percent from last year, veal was up 14 percent, pork was up 2 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 5 percent. Pork production totaled 1.64 billion pounds, down slightly from the previous year. Beef production, at 1.95 billion pounds, was 7 percent above the previous year. Veal production totaled 12. Lamb and mutton production, at 14. The average live weight was down 2 pounds from the previous year, at 269 pounds. The average...

With the current market prices for hogs and production costs, pork producers average profit margin is only $2. The GRT would reduce the already slim profit margins for producers by 25 percent! Farms that are structured as Sole Proprietorships, Limited Liability Corporations or Subchapter S Corporations will be taxed again on any profit that they might have left at the state tax rate of 3 percent. Who will ultimately pay these higher prices? All consumers! This tax is unfair to business and...

At the piggy resort and spa, it's what they do, they pamper pigs. Believe it or not, a Philadelphia area spa is pampering porky in a posh way!Soft music, vanilla flavored shampoo, essential oils. You wouldn't wine and dine a swine?! PA woman gets paid to pamper pigs! The overweight pigs, well they get a reduced diet and daily exercise walks. Called the home of the pet pig, it's the only facility of this kind anywhere. How about give a piglet a pedicure? Who doesn't like a scented bath and...

Under a national wildlife diseasemanagementprogram, Keirn said, researchers will collect and test wild pigs in up to 25states to look for the presence of classical swine fever. Keith Massey, a crop farmer and hog producer from Columbus Junction in southeast Iowa, contracted the bacterial disease brucellosis from sows of his that were exposed to wild pigs. Hogs gone wild can keep farmers from bringing home the bacon. Feral swine, numbering an estimated 4 million nationwide, can spread...

While ethanol-related industries and the National Corn Growers Association have asserted that corn-guzzling ethanol demands outlined under President George Bush s energy plan can be done, even the president recognizes it may be difficult to meet his goal of 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol by 2012. While ethanol-related industries and the National Corn Growers Association have asserted that corn-guzzling ethanol demands outlined under President George Bush s energy plan can be done, even the...