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By Jennifer M. Latzke According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, as of July 1, there will no longer be state-funded market reports of feeder cattle, bred cows, slaughter cows and bulls in the state. Currently, KDA reports the livestock sales at Pratt Livestock Auction, Pratt, and Farmers and Ranchers Livestock, Salina. As of July 1, those markets will no longer have state-funded reporters. Glenda Shepler, KDA Statistics director, explained the discontinuation of the Pratt and Salina market reports is a budgetary issue. The Kansas Legislature required KDA to submit budget cut proposals for each department, and these cuts would save the department a little more than $10,000 per year. The overall budget from the State General Fund for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, as recently passed by the Legislature and approved by the governor, amounts to a little more than $10.45 million for fiscal year 2010. While there has been no public announcement of the budget cuts, as of press time, High Plains Journal confirmed this decision with KDA. The general fund allocation for KDA for FY 2010 was reduced by 15 percent from FY 2009, and an additional 3 percent in funding cuts will be necessary due to unfunded mandates from the Legislature. Potential cuts to agency programs were discussed throughout the 2009 legislative session, according to KDA, but they were not solidified until the week of June 15. A total of $88,841 will be cut from the state ag statistics program, according to KDA officials. The state of Kansas faces a $328 million budget shortfall as fiscal year 2009 closes June 30, and cuts to the 2010 budget are likely to change if state revenue continues to come in under projection, according to KDA. [Read More]
By Jennifer Bremer
The weak economy has also affected many sectors of the agriculture industry, with the pork industry being no exception.
University of Missouri-Columbia agriculture economist Glenn Grimes said the major problem pork producers are faced with is cost--cost of feed and inputs as compared to market price.
Grimes told pork producers during the World Pork Expo, held recently in Des Moines, that key driving forces for the pork markets include oil prices, biofuels policy and the economy.
"High oil prices led to high gasoline prices, high ethanol prices, high corn prices and red ink for the livestock industry," said Grimes. "A weak economy is doing the same in reverse."
He said it is important for pork producers to look at all of their inputs and make decisions. He advises and thinks there will be a decrease in the sow herd to help build up the price again.
"Since 1930, the U.S. has reduced sow inventory by 42 percent and increased annual pork production by 245 percent," he added. "Efficiencies and production (pigs per litter) has increased dramatically--from 6 pigs per litter in 1930 to more than 9 pigs per litter in 2005." [Read More]
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