Meat and poultry producers to rebound in “Animal Era” says ag economist

The animal industries finally have a positive multiple-year outlook, writes Chris Hurt, an agricultural economist at Purdue University, in a new paper, “Rebuilding U.S. Animal Industries.” The next era for animal industries will be one of rebuilding herds and flocks, Hurt says.  “This will be a multiple-year process and will be characterized as a role reversal for the crops sector and the animal sector. If the years from 2007 to 2013 could be described as the ‘Grain Era’ in which crop sector incomes had an extraordinary run, the coming period may be described as the ‘Animal Era’ when producers of animal products have strong returns. During the ‘Grain Era’ some resources like pasture land and forage production were converted to cash crop production. In the coming ‘Animal Era’ there will be some incentive to convert cash crop land back to animal industry use. This will be most predominant for the marginal cash crop lands of the central and western Great Plains.”  Read More