Prices are whipsawing, headlines scream chaos, and yet the U.S. pork complex feels…steady. We sit down with Joe Kerns to unpack this uncommon calm and why discipline—not luck—may be the quiet engine behind today’s positive forward curve. From high interest rates and soaring barn costs to the hard lesson of not overwhelming shackle space, we trace how a painful 2023 forced better habits that are now paying off.

We dig into the protein stack. Beef is pinned by biology and a slow rebuild, keeping ground prices elevated for years ahead. Poultry can add birds quickly but still faces operational limits. That leaves pork with a strategic window to win share through innovation: smarter fabrication, retailer-friendly ground blends, and cuts sized for air fryers, slow cookers, and weeknight routines. Kerns shares what he learned at a carcass innovation session—from fiber and fat to flavor systems—and why tenderloin quietly delivers best-in-basket value without sacrificing taste.

Exports and crops get equal airtime. A softer dollar helps competitiveness, Europe has hamstrung itself, and Brazil remains a tantalizing wildcard with real financing constraints. On the row crop side, China’s absence for soybeans looms large, pointing toward heavy carryout and the need to re-center soybean meal in livestock rations as a domestic demand anchor. We challenge the hype around renewable diesel, biodiesel, and a fast E15 jump, outlining why infrastructure and economics still don’t pencil. Then we level-set risks: ASF as the border-closing shock, aging consumers who eat less meat, and growth across Africa that demands fit-for-market products.

This conversation is a playbook for staying disciplined while capturing upside: hedge inputs and hogs, align cuts with how people actually cook, and use beef’s price era to reset pork’s value story without overbuilding. If you found these insights useful, follow the show, share it with a producer or buyer who’d value the data behind the decisions, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us. Your hosts for Feedstuffs Pork Nation are Mark Hulsebus of Alltech and Feedstuffs' Sarah Muirhead.