Association News
Drake's Market News
September, 2011
Over the past months, I have written about the volatility found in our country and our industry. There has been decidedly more stability in our industry. This stability has come from the presence of the major packers being processors, promotion from the ALB, stabilizing shelf life of our product, and seeking and understanding the needs of our customers. On the other side of the equation, our industry is hammered by a non-understanding government, weather which keeps our industry from growing, and a growing need from world consumers for protein and standard food products. Government that supervises agriculture is now made up of people that know little about....
Drake's Market News
May, 2011
Our area, Northern Colorado-Wyoming-Western Nebraska, has finally received rain. This area really needed it, but much of the country does not need any more rain or what it has received, with the exception of Texas and New Mexico. They are burning up.
East of here farmers are swimming in water and having difficulty getting seed into the ground. Corn futures continue to gain ground, as market participants fear the potential negative impact of slow plantings in the Eastern Corn belt and the possibility that a sizable number of acres along the Mississippi River will be lost to flooding this year. The numbers of acres...
Drake's Market News
March, 2011
In earlier letters, I have mentioned volatility. I was generally talking about the overall volatility in all proteins and grains throughout the world. A leader in volatility now is our lamb business. Is it out of control? Has supply blinded decisions about demand and true needs? What are true needs? Do packer/processors need to weigh going "Dark" versus red bottom lines and market share? I do not have the answers to these questions, but I will offer some ideas, right or wrong.
Request for American Lamb Board Nominees
March, 2011
NLFA is one of the national organizations certified to submit nominations to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service for individuals to serve on the American Lamb Board. There are two positions expiring in 2012, one for a feeder and the other for a first handler. NLFA is seeking...
Drake's Market News
December, 2010
I have been a serious student of the Sheep Industry for over 35 years, but I am about to come to the conclusion that I need to quickly UNLEARN what I know. We have a new industry. Can we keep it? I do not know. I think I have the right thoughts on trends, but my ideas are wiped out by the volatility. The U.S. is the "best" market in the world. The U.S. has the highest per capita income and wealth, the third largest population globally, strong markets and institutions, but no one is perfect. The worst problem is that the U.S. is no longer...