3rd Annual Southern States Showdown
The 3rd Southern States Showdown will be at the Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, VA on June 6th-8th...open to QH's, Palominos and Reiners. Class sheets are posted below.
Southern States Triple Crown NBHA Super Show
The Southern States Triple Crown NBHA Super Show is in Perry, GA July 3-6. More information below. Entry forms coming soon.
Intervet Barn Chart Deworming Guide
Intervet has made following a deworming schedule a snap with this barn chart. Print yours out today!
Meet Our Team!
The Southern States Horse Feed and Pasture Management Specialists like Ron Perry are ready to help you. See how to contact them.
Corn Prices: Up or Down
The recent escalation in feed prices has been a result of the significant increase in corn prices over the past 5 months. Corn prices have doubled during this period and there are two factors that are fueling this increase.
The first is the demand for corn created by the increase of ethanol production in the United States. Our government has pushed an energy program that requires the use of at least 10 percent ethanol in gasoline. In order to accomplish this goal, ethanol production in the U.S. must increase significantly. With the help of government subsidies, there are approximately 111 ethanol plants in production today, and another 60 plus plants under construction. Corn is the main component of ethanol and this creates the sudden increase in demand.
Secondly, the U.S. used 11.7 billion bushels of corn last year; however, we only produced 10.5 billion bushels of corn. Our reserves are below 1 billion bushels which is less than the gap between production and usage. As you can see, many believe corn is in short supply.
As corn prices go up, it also affects the price of other ingredients. Ingredients that could be used in place of corn are in higher demand, thus raising the price of these products also. The outlook for corn prices is to remain stable for at least the near term. The biggest factor for future prices will be this year's production outlook. If the crop is good, prices will stabilize or go down. If the crop is short, prices will continue to escalate.
Thank you for your loyalty to Southern States horse feeds.
Jim Moore, is Vice President, Feed Division,
Southern States