Improved Exports Critical to Maintaining Profitable Fourth Quarter Hog Prices

Sep 27, 2019

HAMS Marketing Services says improved export sales will be needed in all markets to realize better prices during the fourth quarter. Abundant hog supplies and an uncertain trade situation have resulted in continued volatility in the North American hog market.

Tyler Fulton, the Director of Risk Management with HAMS Marketing Services, says the general trend in the futures market has been to creep a little higher but we've seen great volatility with trading days ending with a limit move, either higher or lower, in some of the contract months being offered.

Clip-Tyler Fulton-HAMS Marketing Services:

We did see China put in a large order and that was about 10 thousand metric tons to the U.S. for pork to be delivered before the end of this year. Every week the USDA puts out a weekly exports report that reveals what orders have been placed. It was about two weeks ago that it was revealed that the Chinese had been pretty active.

So the market took a big jump higher when that news came out but we haven't seen that since.

On a broader scheme of things we've got generally still decent exports to Japan. I think we might be on an improving plain with respect to U.S. exports to Mexico but to be honest that market has struggled over the last few months or so.

Really, in order for us to take a step higher in order to realize better prices in this tougher fourth quarter period that we're going to be entering, we're going to need to see some improvement in export sales everywhere.

Source : Farmscape

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.