Cooperatives' Role in Hog Contract Production

摘要

In the next 20 years the role of feed supply cooperatives in the hog industry will change greatly or largely disappear. Larger super-producers of hogs continue to grow. Whether vertically integrated or not, super-producers generally mill their own feed. The role of cooperatives needs to be changed. Cooperatives can help their hog producer-members to compete with these super-producers or can become super-producers themselves. The report highlights and interprets two national surveys of commercial hog producers, long interviews with several large producers and numerous cooperative managers, and reviews the port industry press about structural and contractual developments over the past several years. Its purpose is to assist cooperatives in their strategic thinking regarding the hog industry.