Questions Remain for Hog Trade

The Market Facilitation Program payments for pig farmers are based on the August 1 inventory. Farmers will be paid $8 per head on a maximum of 50 percent of their hog supply. There are still some unanswered questions. “For example, what if your barn was empty on August 1 because you were in between groups of pigs?” said David Preisler, executive director, Minnesota Pork Producers Association. “The other thing is the different ownership structures; it may not be as simple as a single owner. Those are things we are working on clarifying right now.” Payments for pork producers could be received as soon as mid-September.