Nebraska pork production tops U.S. average

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Nebraska pork production tops U.S. average

Nebraska pork production is outpacing the national average by nearly three percent after adding nearly a half-million pigs from last year according to the latest hogs and pigs report.  

Al Juhnke is the executive director for the Nebraska Pork Producers Association. “Nebraska is open for business.  People are realizing that.  It’s a good place to put pigs whether you’re concerned about bio security, feed resources – never have a drought in Nebraska, right? We have irrigators that run and so grain might go up in price but it’s always available next door.”

Last month’s hogs and pigs report showed there were 3.8 million pigs in Nebraska, which is up 4 percent from 2020 compared to the national average of 1.5 percent.

Juhnke tells Brownfield one reason for growth is that the state is expanding processing with new producer-owned facilities. “As processing grows, so do the opportunities for farmers that are already here and if you have existing barns, you have equity in them and you want to take that equity and turn them into new barns,” he says. “Once you have the base of barns, clearly that’s a base for growing additional barns and growing your farm and your production.”

Juhnke says the state’s workforce and easy access to Western ports also make the state attractive for new producers.

Juhnke made his comments at the Nebraska Pork Expo Wednesday.

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