Minnesota pork producers describe recent losses, biosecurity and permitting concerns

Darryl Timmerman, a board member of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, briefed the committee on the state of the swine industry and described a prolonged period of financial stress.

Timmerman said an Iowa State "livestock returns" model showed the industry experienced 19 consecutive months of losses from September 2022 through March 2024, with an average loss of about $27 per market hog during that period. He translated that average into an illustrative figure of about $4,700 of losses per semi truckload of market hogs over the same stretch. Timmerman told the committee Minnesota sold roughly 16,000,000 market pigs in the last year and said feed represents about 55% of the cost to raise an animal.

He described Minnesota’s strengths — processing, feed availability and veterinary resources — while urging the Legislature to address permitting timelines, tax code incentives for generational transfers, and rising labor costs. Timmerman said the industry has invested in disease preparedness and urged continued support for the Board of Animal Health and diagnostic capacity. In response to committee questions, he said the industry and state veterinarian have coordinated on African swine fever preparedness and recommended continued funding for testing and traceability efforts.

No formal committee vote or action was taken on the pork producers’ testimony; the presentation was incorporated into the hearing record.