Iowa's hog inventory on the rise
The U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs began September with 76.48 million head, 0.5% more than last year at this time and a 2% increase from last quarter, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published Sept. 26 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service.

There were 25.5 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms on Sept. 1, the USDA reported. Iowa’s inventory was up 3% from June 2024 and 2% above the September 2023 census.

The June-August 2024 pig crop was 5.5 million head, up 6% from the previous quarter but down 3% from last year.

Brazilian drought threatens ag exports
A widespread drought in Brazil has halted the transport of grain through the Madeira River system, an important northern waterway linking key croplands with the country's ports, Reuters reported last week.

Shippers reported that the “river's depth in critical points is around two meters (6.6 feet), making navigation commercially unfeasible.”

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of soy and one of the largest corn exporters. Some 34% of Brazilian soy exports in 2023, and almost 43% of corn exports, were shipped through the Madeira River system.

U.S. railroads limit traffic to Mexico
BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad announced last week they had stopped shipping U.S. agricultural goods to Mexico via the Ferromex railroad system due to that company’s “inability to handle rising demand.”

Ferromex connects with Union Pacific and BNSF Railway at the key border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, which are the second and third busiest rail gateways to Mexico by volume, respectively.

In September 2023, Ferromex suspended northbound service for several days due to the influx of migrants in its yards and on trains bound for the U.S. border, reported Trains.com, a rail industry news outlet.

The U.S. closed the rail bridge over the Rio Grande that connects Eagle Pass with Mexico in December 2023 so that it could divert personnel to address a surge in migrant border crossings.

The temporary closures of the border crossings caused rail traffic to back up in the U.S. and Mexico. But the agricultural groups say capacity is the key contributor to service problems on Ferromex.

Port strike seems likely without federal help
The International Longshoremen’s Association said last week its 25,000 members will walk off the job Sept. 30 if the union doesn't come to a new agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents carriers and marine terminal operators.

Farm Policy News noted that the contract covers all ports between Maine and Texas, including New York, Savannah, Houston, Miami and New Orleans. These ports represent 41% of the country’s containerized port volume, and their closure would have a "devastating impact" on the U.S. economy, trade groups warned.

On Sept. 27, more than 200 ag groups co-signed a letter asking the White House to block the strike. As of Friday afternoon, the Biden administration hadn't responded to that request.