Here is a link to a local TV broadcast. The story is interesting but I posted it because the guy they are interviewing is the hog farmer I get my bellies and spareribs from. (He doesn't sell baby backs as he sells them as part of pork crown roast.)
http://www.waff.com/story/19744125/madison-hog-farmer-explains-higher-bacon-prices (http://www.waff.com/story/19744125/madison-hog-farmer-explains-higher-bacon-prices)
Hang on to your shorts, here we go on another price hike. :(
Did everybody here the part about folks selling off a major part of there herd?
It will take yeeeears to build the herds back up.
There doin that with beef too
Everyone knows how the supply and demand thing works right?
Bigger cattle producers have been selling off there herd. Even old cows (and bulls) are bringing a good price at the market. So a cattleman can sell that old cow, instead of keeping her a few more years, for a good price. Reducing the number of cows that produce young. Texas had that drought two years ago and the price of hay went through the roof (they bought hay here in TN and was shipping it by the boxcar to Texas). And this year, grain states had a drought also. People are scrambling to buy hay to last through the winter (including me). Hay production is way down hay due to our drought, but we are hoping for a mild fall so that we can get a second cutting. We are still behind on rainfall, but we have had rain several times in the past few weeks.
We are near lows on the number of cattle since 1983. you might not think of TN as a cattle producing state, but we are. We breed and sell young cattle to the mid west finishers (feed lots).
The price of corn has risen so much, gas and other supplies. The price of land has risen. I don't think the govt thinks about things like this until it is too late. They talk about reducing our tax deductions, this will raise the prices even more. You have to make money in order to stay in the business. I don't have but ten head right now. The ave TN cattleman only has 55-60 head.
It sounds like I'll be buying lots of Banquet turkey pot pies and chicken noodle soup.