New pig report; a hairless seed
The United States Department of Agriculture’s latest pig inventory report showed large supplies in 1998 will have prices on the defensive.
It showed there were 59.9 million hogs in the U.S. on Dec. 1. That was seven percent above the same time last year compared to the average of analysts’ forecasts at 6.3 percent.
Breeding inventory, at 6.98 million head, was up five percent from last year and up one percent from Sept. 1. Market hog inventory, at 52.9 million head, was seven percent above last year but one percent below last quarter.
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The average pigs per litter continues to rapidly increase, with an average of 8.63 pigs saved per litter for the September-November period. Last year the average was 8.52 pigs per litter.
Litter sizes ranged from 7.4 for operations with one to 99 hogs to 8.9 for operations with more than 5,000 head.
Big plans for canaryseed
A new canaryseed variety from the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre arrives on the market this coming growing season, CDC Maria.
It is the first hairless canaryseed and there are a lot of questions about how it will affect production and markets.
Mike Cey, a special crops merchandiser for Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, told an outlook conference sponsored by the George Morris Centre that the new variety might make all existing varieties obsolete.
First, producers might flock to it like ducks to water because without itchy hairs it will be much more pleasant to combine and handle.
How buyers will view it is open to debate because few have seen the product. But Cey said they might view it as the new standard and won’t buy hairy varieties any more.
What buyers will pay for it is also unclear. As we reported recently, canaryseed now sells for about 14 cents a pound, down from 40 cents in 1994.
The reason is simple. The market is fairly small and Western Canadian production, especially Saskatchewan production, completely dominates.
A few thousand acres too many and production outstrips demand and the price falls. Reduced Canadian production raises prices, but if it goes too high, bird food manufacturers switch to less costly alternative seed.
But that might change with CDC Maria. It could have potential as a human food as well as a bird seed. Cey said there is a chance it could be sold as an alternative to sesame seed.
If accepted, far more acres could be grown.
