June 27, 2008
Handbook helps producers improve efficiency in lean times
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With corn priced at $7 per bushel and soybean meal priced at $400 per ton, lean hogs will have to reach $86 per hundredweight for producers to break even.Purdue University’s Chris Hurt, an agricultural economist, doesn’t expect this to happen until early spring of 2009.
"Because of the weather, we've lost a portion of this year's corn crop, and with about one third of that going to ethanol, it's not going to be until October of 2009 that we can replenish the corn stocks," Hurt said. "That’s 15 months away."
With high corn prices and the market volatility, pork producers find themselves gambling on a daily basis or at least they may feel like it, said another Purdue expert. Brian Richert, swine management specialist believes the more information that producers are provided to help them manage the better.
That is the aim of the 2008 Pork Industry Handbook. With more than 1,400 pages, the handbook is packed with information such as marketing strategies for market hogs to cull sows, the economic impact of genetic improvement and resolving conflicts with employees. It also has information about alternative feedstuffs and commodity options as price insurance.
The handbook has more than 230 science-based fact sheets authored and reviewed by nearly 500 academic and industry experts from around the country. The 2008 edition includes 51 articles emphasizing business management, human resources, swine health, facilities and equipment, marketing strategies, statistics, and employee health and safety.
The Pork Industry Handbook is available on hardcopy, CD or both. The three-volume hardcopy set costs $100; the CD costs $45; and the CD, plus hardcopy, costs $130. These prices don’t include shipping and handling. Individuals who purchased the 2007 version will receive a 20 percent discount on the 2008 Pork Industry Handbook. To order call (888) 398-4636 or visit http://www.extension.purdue.edu/new
Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu
Sources: Brian Richert, (765) 494-4837, brichert@purdue.edu
Chris Hurt, (765) 494-4273, hurtc@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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