MarketsFarm — The Canadian hog market may be at its seasonal lows, but tightening worldwide supplies should underpin values over the next few months. “We’re at a seasonal time of year when prices move lower,” said Brad Marceniuk, livestock economist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, pointing to higher U.S. slaughter numbers and a slowdown in North American […] Read more
Hog market at seasonal lows, turnaround expected
China to exempt U.S. pork, soybeans from additional tariffs
Shanghai | Reuters — China will exempt some agricultural products from additional tariffs on U.S. goods, including pork and soybeans, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, in the latest sign of easing Sino-U.S. tensions before a new round of talks aimed at curbing a bruising trade war. The United States and China have both […] Read more
Everyone needs to be on traceability system
Even if you have just one pig, you should be registered with Premises Identification
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you raise pigs — whether in a commercial setting, on a natural or organic operation or in the backyard — get a Premises Identification. “During the outbreak, we used it for tracing, and we used it for notifying farms in the risk area,” said Dr. Julia Keenliside, veterinary epidemiologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. […] Read more
Relentless PED virus could return to hog barns at any time
An outbreak appears to be contained but incredibly hardy PEDv could reappear at any moment
Reading Time: 5 minutes We’ve got all of Saskatchewan between us — but that’s not enough to shield Alberta from the threat of a deadly pig virus that has swept across Manitoba. The virus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is proving to be a challenge unlike any other — an incredibly hardy infectious agent able to travel […] Read more
Chinese pork imports seen doubling over two years by 2020
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Chinese pork meat imports are projected to sharply rise from 2.1 million tonnes in 2018 to 3.3 million tonnes in 2019 and 4.2 million tonnes in 2020, because of the African swine fever outbreak, broker and consultancy INTL FCStone said on Monday. FCStone estimated during a commodities outlook conference in […] Read more
Philippines checks for swine fever as pig deaths rise
Manila | Reuters — The Philippines has set up a crisis management team to determine if the deadly African swine fever virus has reached the country after officials detected a rise in pig deaths in some areas. The Bureau of Animal Industry had reported an increased mortality of pigs “raised by farmers in their backyards” […] Read more
Wild pigs a growing problem not many seem to care about
Alberta is the only province with a control strategy — but it’s still in the pilot program phase
Reading Time: 4 minutes Since their numbers are unknown and the wily animals are rarely spotted, it’s been easy to ignore the problem of wild pigs. But given their potential to spread disease, that’s a mistake, says the country’s leading — and pretty much only — expert on wild boars. The animals — whose population has mushroomed in the […] Read more
Packers win dismissal of U.S. pork price-fixing suits
Reuters — A federal judge on Thursday dismissed antitrust lawsuits accusing several large U.S. pork companies of conspiring to limit the supply of pork to inflate prices and their own profits at the expense of consumers and other purchasers. Chief Judge John Tunheim of the federal court in Minneapolis said the plaintiffs failed to show […] Read more
Elanco buys swine PWD vaccine maker
Veterinary drugmaker Elanco Animal Health is expanding its space in the swine sector with a deal to buy the Quebec startup behind Coliprotec vaccines. Indianapolis-based Elanco announced Thursday it has paid $78.5 million to buy Prevtec Microbia, which is headquartered in Montreal with facilities in St-Hyacinthe. The Coliprotec line is meant to help protect pigs […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures set nine-month low on big supplies, China trade tensions
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures extended their decline on Friday, with the most active contract touching its lowest price in nine months under pressure from large supplies and the worsening U.S.-China trade war. Cattle futures also weakened. China on Friday vowed to fight back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
