An Iowa pig farmer says that he is struggling with a regional pig shortage.
He runs a wean-to-finish operation and tells Brownfield Ag News it is related to an increase of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome over the winter. It has been significantly hurting numbers, and he has had to buy off the spot market as a result.
USDA’s latest hogs and pigs report shows Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota are seeing the largest decline in sow numbers.
Sen. Chuck Grassley has been talking with Iowa pork producers specifically about what challenges they are facing. He says that during their meetings, they brought up China fulfilling their obligations, estate taxes, and stepped up basis.
“I had twenty-four meetings and I’ll bet well over half of these meetings had questions about the tax policies of this administration and doing away with stepped up basis and reducing the estate tax,” Sen. Grassley states. “It would particularly hit the high investments that people would have to have for raising pigs.”
Senator Grassley said that one thing pork producers ought to know is that USDA is now paying producers for pigs that had to be euthanized last year.