With hog margins at their best levels since 2021, US pork is leaning on efficiency, heavier carcasses and global demand to drive profitability Brian Earnest, lead animal protein industry analyst at CoBank, shared a wide-angle view of how macro trends are reshaping food demand before diving deeper into the impact on exports, consumption and market opportunities for the US and

Despite inflation and labor tightness, economist Brian Earnest says animal protein demand “has been phenomenal” Brian Earnest, lead animal protein industry analyst at CoBank, shared a wide-angle view of the US economy and how macro trends are reshaping food demand at the Four Star Pork Industry Conference in Muncie, Indiana. His first point was straightforward: America’s consumers and its workforce

Focus, don’t overdo: A data-driven approach suggests where to spend your time for the greatest impact The hours immediately following birth can shape a piglet’s future performance and survival. That “day one” period in the farrowing house is a high-stakes environment where labor limitations, protocol implementation and biological needs all collide. At the 2025 Four Star Pork Industry Conference, Dr.

What is porcine sapovirus? Porcine sapovirus is an enteric virus in the same family as norovirus. However, its clinical signs are less severe than norovirus. “There are a lot of unknowns with sapovirus, but it is thought to be transmitted between pigs through a fecal-oral contamination route, and it persists in the environment once it is established,” said Cary Sexton,