Who Will Help the Hogs?

Unlike soybeans, I’ve seen no rebound in hog prices (front month futures) with the announcement of the $12 billion farm bailout:


Source: ino.com, accessed 7/26.

See here for pork exports to China.

Here’s where the hogs are:


Source: USDA.

(Personally, I would’ve guessed there were more hogs in WI.)

23 thoughts on “Who Will Help the Hogs?”

  1. 2slugbaits

    (Personally, I would’ve guessed there were more hogs in WI.)

    It just seems like it because WI is down wind of those IA hog farms.

    1. dilbert dogbert

      Your comments brings back memories of when I was in college at Cal Poly SLO. Come the first rains, WOW! the stench.

      1. Moses Herzog

        I suppose we could argue about this for a couple days, depending on the size of the farm, but I think it used to be the meat packing plants that had the worst smells. I know of a particular plant up around Marshalltown Iowa that used to be pretty renowned. I’m sure others have some tales to tell. But that was many many years ago, I’m sure it’s improved
        http://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/what-slaughterhouse-looks-inside

        From the story by Amy Mayer
        “As part of our series on the precarious working conditions of many slaughterhouse workers, ‘Dangerous Jobs, Cheap Meat,’ Harvest Public Media reporters requested entry to various other slaughter facilities, but were denied. Here, our JBS hosts told us we could not take photos or video, make audio recordings or quote the company without permission.”

        It’s also interesting to note (as I have before) that we haven’t heard of many ICE raids at meat packing plants, much less punishments for the companies that employ them. Are we to believe in the year 2018 that there are “few” illegals working at the plants, when they are the easiest to manipulate and abuse based on their papers?? Republicans are more than happy to gossip about those “dirty Mexicans”, but the topic of the executives and corporate boards who employ the “dirty Mexicans” never seems to come up for Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, etc.
        http://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/topic/dangerous-jobs-cheap-meat

        Do you think that if the executives of companies that employ the “dirty Mexicans” and CONTINUE ON employing illegal immigrants LONG AFTER multiple ICE raids have come and gone were given severe fines and 5-7 year non-probationary prison sentences that the recruiting and employment of illegals would dramatically drop?? You can keep guessing, because it will NEVER be done—-because the “great secret” is Republicans LOVE cheap labor—and by proxy of their love of cheap labor, love illegal immigrants.

        My father (for an abbreviated time) and both my grandfathers worked in a meat packing plant. I am here to tell you it is a “man’s man” kind of work. I have said before that my maternal grandfather was—in part—driven out of his work at the meatpacking plant by Mexican illegals—decades ago. The foreman told my grandmother it took 3 Mexicans to do the job he did. Probably just trying to make her feel good–but who knows??

  2. pgl

    Barkley Rosser tells the truth about that meeting between Trump and EU Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker and it seems both Sean Hannity and PeakDishonesty have been less than honest (as usual):
    http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2018/07/has-trump-won-this-easy-trade-war-with.html
    “So Sean Hannity would have us believe this evening after the press conference earlier today by Trump and EU Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker. According to Hannity they have signed a “deal” that will help US businesses, workers, and farmers. Yowzah!

    As it is, what appears to have been agreed to (no signed deal) is that the US will not impose tariffs on autos imported from the EU as he had threatened to, a proposal not supported by the US auto industry, the erstwhile beneficiary of such an action. This means that the EU in turn will not impose a bunch of retaliatory tariffs against various American products. So, the trade war sits where it is, with US tariffs in place on foreign steel and aluminum, with a set of retaliatory tariffs on a variety of US goods all still in place. The war has not been won, merely that its momentum has slowed.”

    Actually Trump threw up the white flag and surrendered leaving the US auto industry as POWs in the hands of our European foes!

    1. Barkley Rosser

      I must note that supposedly the Europeans will buy some US soybeans, although the amount remains unclear not to mention which nations will actually do so. There is also a vague promise to “build some infrastructure” that might allow EU to import more LNG from US, but that would be years down the road, even if the promise were kept. Oh, there will be discussions about the steel and aluminum tariffs and maybe European tariffs on US autos. Not clear if the stalled TTIP negotiations will revive, which began back in 2013.

      1. pgl

        Some soybeans is the operative term. The Europeans will be getting them cheap given the fall in the demand from Chinese consumers.

        1. Barkley Rosser

          Well, in his press conference with Juncker, Trump made it clear: “soybeans! This is important!” That’s about it, although we can wait around to see if any actually do get bought by any Europeans.

        2. Patrick VB

          The thing is, first, “Europe” doesn’t buy soybeans, European persons/companies do. So the EU Commission (Juncker) can’t ensure any purchase of US soybeans, absent orchestrating future changes in relative “prices” in favour of US agri exports through, say, changes in import taxes and regulations. Second, Juncker only spoke of opening trade discussions on industrial products (non auto). Agriculture was not and will not be a part of any “deal” between Juncker and the Trump admin, and any trade deal Juncker could negociate on behalf of the EU would have to be approved by the EU Council (requiring unanimity in favour in case agriculture is concerned); France and Italy have already stated that they don’t currently support trade discussions on agriculture with Trump. And anyhow, such a trade deal would likely require years to negociate. So, my take is that nothing of substance happened during the Juncker visit to Washington, except a declaration of a truce and a PR show aimed at the Trump base…

    2. 2slugbaits

      There was no deal between Trump and Juncker, at least not in any ordinary sense of the word “deal.” And why would you take seriously an online article about international trade that was written by a Hollywood screenwriter working for a crackpot far right-wing billionaire investor? Would you take seriously an article written by Barbra Streisand? It makes about as much sense.

  6. 2slugbaits

    Menzie Looks like you need another post entitled “Who will help ethanol?” Well, it turns out that ethanol has a champion in Donald Trump. Today he promised Iowa farmers an expanded 15% ethanol program. A more economically stupid policy would be hard to find.

    1. CoRev

      WOW! 2slugs believes that saving the planet from mankind’s influence on Climate Change/Global Warming/ Climate Wierding (etc.) is an economically stupid policy. What a hypocrite! After these many years of touting the need to save the planet, he admits it does not make economic sense?

      1. 2slugbaits

        CoRev Ethanol is hardly an environmentally friendly energy policy. Supporting ethanol production is bad environmental policy and godawful economics.

        2. baffling

          you get this type of response from corev because he is from the party of no. there is no logic to his positions, simply if a democrat takes up a position, he must be on the opposite side. he was a champion of romneycare, until it was replaced by the name obamacare. somehow it went from free market capitalism to socialism overnight. simply the party of no. ignorant idiot.

    2. ilsm

      2Slugs,

      I was stationed in Indiana (almost a life time 3 plus years), pig operations are odiferous, going to ‘the lake’ we knew each “farm” about a mile out. Wisconsin is cheese!

      Having lived with it I wonder if the corn is not better used for ethanol? Is bacon and local pollutions worse for you than air pollution?

    3. Bruce Hall

      2slug,

      Again, on the rare occasion, I completely agree with you. Trump’s proposal makes no sense economically or environmentally. One might ask: why hasn’t there been a massive demand for E85 fuel when so many millions of “flex fuel” vehicles were produced instead of the very modest growth? Perhaps with the impact of Trump’s tariffs, the price of corn will drop low enough to make ethanol a viable economic alternative to oil-based gasoline. But I’m doubting that. More likely, it will raise the demand for corn which will create either shortages of corn or a shift away from ??? soybeans and more disruption.

      Will a 50% increase in ethanol content of gasoline require importing ethanol?

      1. baffling

        wind and solar energy are a simply solution for E85. and we can divert more corn back to feedstock and such. why use corn for power when we have abundant wind and sun?

  8. Moses Herzog

    This is specifically related to Oklahoma. Oklahoma does produce a decent amount of soybeans (at least as a percent of farmland inside the state is concerned), and compared to places such as Iowa not really pork heavy. But if other countries respond with wheat and beef tariffs, it could effect Oklahoma on a significant level. If you add this into some semi-unrealistic expectations for getting “SNAP” benefits, and a potential downturn in the economy, say, late 2019, it gets pretty serious. Similar to the children sitting in “ICE” prisons, you’re going to have thousands of children and/or their parents who cannot get food. Only unlike the “ICE” prisons for children kidnapped from their parents, you won’t be able to prevent or disallow video footage of the children going hungry, all it will take is a semi-industrious reporter and cameraman to find their home address.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O_SnbD4asc

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