protein sources
protein sources
protein sources
protein sources

Consulting

protein sources

Services

 Overviews of our consulting services are listed below.   

·        Swine Production

·        Financial Management

·        Facility and Site Management

·        Swine Herd Health Services

·        Risk Management (lean hogs & feed inputs)

·        Animal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) & Traceability

·        PQA,TQA

Swine Production

Protein Sources provides management for all stages of swine production; from complete management of sow units to the management of the nursery and finishing stages of production. 

An overview of swine production services is listed below: 

 

Financial Management

Protein Sources provides comprehensive financial management including not only the day to day accounting processes, but also key financial analyses, preparation and presentation of timely financial statements and preparation of tax forms.  Each of our accounting staff has extensive knowledge and experience in the agricultural industry.  An overview of financial management services provided is listed below:

·  Protein Sources works closely with each client throughout the production cycle and year.  We provide up to the minute status on all farms through the use of a dedicated internet based, secure site portal for all clients and employees.  This allows for robust and timely communication among the owners, management and farm employees on all aspects of the operation.  In addition to providing timely information through portal access, Protein Sources also coordinates, plans and facilitates regular owner meetings. 
·  Provide sow gestation, lactation and nursery information and recommendations concerning ration formulation, quantity and quality of all formulated feeds, feedstuffs, feed medications, and feeding programs for bidding protocols and daily feeding management. 
·  Select on behalf of client all breeding stock, semen, feed, veterinary care, equipment, materials, supplies, swine transportation services and other outside services necessary for the operation and maintenance of the Facility.
·  Provide management services of the nursery and finisher stages of production from inspection upon arrival through marketing. 
·  Select and sell on behalf of client, all cull breeding herd animals as deemed prudent and necessary.
·  Develop and implement a gilt development, isolation and entry program appropriate in the circumstances.
·  Assist clients in establishing appropriate piglet and/or nursery pig pricing to client members and/or outside customers.Assist clients in regulatory reporting.
·  Administer the client’s human resources function, including job definition, supervision, compensation, hiring, training and development, performance management, worker’s compensation, payroll and payroll taxes.   Protein Sources also has extensive experience in design and implementing employee benefit programs, including key employee benefits. 
·  Maintain client’s accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
·  Provide cost reporting and analysis detailed by pig stage and/or group in progress.
·  Bill and collect income on behalf of the client and its operations.
·  Complete capital budgeting analyses.
·  Complete cost-benefit analyses.
·  Work with client’s lender (as approved by client) to provide information, ensure appropriate financing levels and minimize interest and other financing expenses. 
·  Prepare recommendations for pricing of piglets or nursery pigs for sale. 
·  Prepare and present recommendations for profit improvement. 
·  Maintain reproductive production and diagnostic records along with monthly animal and feed inventories.  Protein Sources is a leader in not only automating such production records, but designing user reports in meaningful, management and owner tools.
·  Prepare, publish and present each client’s financial statements including comparative balance sheets, comparative income statements, comparative statements of changes in cash funds and supplemental schedules of costs and revenues, as applicable along with explanatory, narrative analysis.
·  Facilitate  business strategic and succession planning.   
·  Prepare profit and cash flow projections for the operation.
·  Prepare documentation for annual federal and state income tax filings.
·  Prepare annual state and federal tax filings.

Facility and Site Management

Protein Sources management has extensive knowledge of swine facility structures and repairs and maintenance needed to preserve your valuable investment.  We make ongoing honest and independent assessments of facilities and equipment and provide you with written recommendations for short and long term repairs and/or betterments.   Depreciation is real and a serious cost factor, particularly in the swine production industry.  With the current high cost of construction and operating costs, being able to maintain and improve facilities without hindering on-going swine production activities is a very important aspect of our management activities. 

Protein Sources will also contract for and supervise repairs and maintenance as well as contracting for utilities and applying for and renewing all related permits, licenses, and approvals for waste holding, handling and disposal.  Working with our team of independent agronomists, we strive to obtain maximum value for animal waste, a very valuable asset of your business.

Swine Herd Health Services

Protein Sources works closely with Dr. Mark FitzSimmons, a renowned expert in the area of hog herd health.  Protein Sources procures and oversees all necessary veterinary services and/or diagnostic tests, as it deems appropriate, always with a focus on the financial cost/benefit of any decision.  

Risk Management

Protein Sources believes that proper risk management is key to business success.  Protein Sources has extensive management expertise in hedge strategies for feed input and lean hog pricing, working with the firm Commodity and Ingredient Hedging, LLC, Chicago, IL to execute transactions in a timely and cost effective manner.  As part of this service, Protein Sources also provides detailed, monthly reporting of the cost, benefit and effectiveness of these strategies to owners and lenders.  These reports summarize as well as provide detailed information as to the strategic hedge positions outstanding, recognized and unrecognized gains and losses with futures and options, deferred gains and losses and option premium capitalized, among other information. 

We have significant hands-on experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and reporting animal market pools (revenues shared among a group of producers over a production cycle or cycles).  Such activities encompass not only the physical net revenue of the sale, but consider hedging and other risk management activities (locally booked corn, soybean meal and DDG’s at feed manufacturing facilities) as well as the effect of basis over such production cycles.

Another key component to risk management is the proper type and amount of insurance coverages.   Protein Sources will review and recommend for replacement, if deemed necessary, insurance policies, insurance companies, insurance agencies and agents, the amounts of coverage and the risk insured.  As always, independent advice is foremost in our business philosophy.

Animal Radio Frequency Identification & Traceability

Protein Sources is a leader in implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID).  We have many years of solid data to show that radio frequency identification not only helps safeguard animal health but it also helps improve livestock operations.  Consumers are increasingly concerned about the origin and quality of the meat they eat;  they want guarantees that the food they consume is of the highest safety and quality standards, and that it has been handled safely throughout the entire supply chain from "farm-to-fork". Profitability comes from operational efficiencies and maximizing production. Livestock producers can save significant amounts of time, capture data in the barn in just seconds, eliminate redundant data entry, increase data accuracy, have real-time data for instant analysis, as well as achieving the source traceability that is increasingly being demanded by our customers.

PQA, TQA 

Protein Sources has certifed Pork Quality Assurance Advisors on staff, providing training for PQA Plus and TQA Quality Assurance Programs.  A description of each program is included below (descriptions provided by the National Pork Board).

In 2007, Pork Quality Assurance evolved into Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) to reflect increasing customer and consumer interest in the way food animals are raised. PQA Plus was built as a continuous improvement program. Maintaining its food safety tradition to ensure that U.S. pork products continue to be recognized domestically and internationally as the highest quality and safest available, it also provides information to ensure producers can measure, track and continuously improve animal wellbeing. With PQA Plus, pork producers have another tool to demonstrate that they are socially responsible.  An objective assessment of on-farm animal well-being which, when combined with the education of the producer through PQA Plus certification, results in the farm receiving PQA Plus site status.

Transport Quality Assurance  (TQA) is a program that helps swine transporters, producers and handlers understand how to handle, move and transport pigs and the potential impacts of those actions on pig well-being and/or pork quality. Anyone who handles or transports pigs, or sets protocols for handling pigs, is a potential influencer of animal well-being and pork quality