Plant closures create bottleneck at farm gate

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Plant closures create bottleneck at farm gate

Closure of the Sioux Falls Smithfield hog processing plant created a hog marketing logjam that’s causing problems at the farm gate. Shane Odegaard, who normally ships 360 hogs a week to Smithfield in Sioux Falls, was not ready for the news that the plant had closed indefinitely.

“It really shook things up,” Odegaard told Brownfield Ag News.

One of Odegaard’s loads was cancelled at the time of the closure and two more loads were ready to go this past week.

“We currently have about 900 to 1000 head of pigs that are market ready ask we speak today,” said Odegaard.

Odegaard, who farms with his family near the east central South Dakota town of Lake Preston, is doing what he can to delay his animals’ growth.

“We tried to work on some options there with some feed diets,” said Odegaard, “cause the pigs keep growing every day, they get too big. They’re overweight for the processing plant, they won’t want them and then we’re really in a bind.”

Odegaard found an individual who will take the hogs that were ready this past week.

“I’m not exactly sure where they’re going after I deliver them,” said Odegaard, “but they will be going on to be processed somewhere.”

AUDIO: Shane Odegaard

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