This past November, I attended the American Farrier’s Association (AFA) Convention in Arlington, Texas. With few options of large-scale farrier gatherings over the past several months, it was great to get back together with hundreds of farriers. One of the standout lectures was by Roosevelt, Utah, farrier Dennis Manning, which you can read about on Page 24. The International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame member’s talk looked back at the progression of his career and the realization that all we understand about hoof care is built on the foundation of those who came before.

In addition to the education and competition, the convention also offered the Marketplace, its trade show with dozens of hoof-care manufacturers and sellers. While visiting with vendors, managing supply chain issues was a common discussion topic. These discussions gave real faces and numbers relative to this international problem. Some spoke of the rising costs of raw materials and how this will impact pricing in the short term. A few supply shops told me that some products are backordered, with varying lengths of delay. For example, one shop used to receive 100% of what they ordered from a manufacturer, but now receives roughly two-thirds of that order, with the rest arriving later.

One number jumped out at me from two manufacturers: the cost of transatlantic or transpacific shipping containers to carry goods has nearly quadrupled during COVID. Months ago that cost would be about $4,500, but now skyrocketed to $17,000 per container crossing the Pacific. That is only…