Pork Commentary May 26, 2014

Pork Commentary

Jim Long President – CEO Genesus Inc.

info@genesus.com

May 26, 2014

 Where Are We Going?

It seems strange that despite real strong prices and profits we have a sense our industry is moving forward despite little real knowledge of what the future holds. Things are going well but we are waiting for the proverbial rock to fall on our head. In a bizarre way despite all the above, we move forward as we are optimistic. There are so many questions that have no answers but the questions themselves create an instability. In no particular order:
  • PED
  • Animal Welfare
  • Antibiotic Usage
  • Feed costs
  • Market Access
  • Environmental Regulations
  • Cost of Production and Productivity
  • Prrs
  • Expansion
  • Consolidation
  • Barn updates and Repairs
  • Labour
  • Packer Capacity
  • Etc.
We should not have put together this list. When you look at it in its entirety it seems like all these issues are overwhelming. Thankfully, we like most others in our industry are rabid optimists. The optimistic wiring we all have make us believe that these lists of obstacles are just bumps we can overcome. The optimistic nature is why we will have expansion because as optimists we are not restrained. We believe that the historical hog cycle somehow will not happen. “This time it will be different.” We know there will be hog cycle but we, despite our experience and knowledge still believe profits will be for a long time. Optimists – our strength is our weakness. We disconnect from our real life experiences. We push on as producer and as optimists. We see the challenges, we are not confident but we drive on with positive inertia, marooned in the industry knowing that few hog producers have had happy landings when they leave. It’s like you keep going until you’re dead. But because we are optimistic we drive forward. Optimists are what drive our social innovation and productivity. We have much that hog producers should be proud of. We produce food. In our hungry and growing world population the need for food is real. It will take optimists’ to push the envelope of productivity and innovation to sustain and improve the world’s meat protein intake. We will do it because that’s what we do. We are people who everyday execute.
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This post was written by Genesus