Livestock
Manitoba hog producers are working on a plan for a mass cull of weanling pigs that are abruptly without a market in the United States. Manitoba ships up to four million weanlings a year to the U.S., but buyers there are said to be walking away from contracts because of concerns over impending country of […] Read more
Weanling slaughter planned for Manitoba
Animal cruelty bill passes
Parliament has approved a private member’s bill to update Canada’s animal cruelty laws. The bill had previously been introduced by Liberal Senator John Bryden and passed in the Senate, so now needs only royal assent to become law. The main feature of the bill is stiffer penalties than under the current law, which dates to […] Read more
AFBF urges help for U.S. pork producers
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the largest farm organization in the U.S., has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy more pork to help boost prices. The purchases would be made under Section 32, a permanent appropriation USDA uses to support non-farm program commodities such as beef and pork. The food is used […] Read more
Few surprises for farmers in Man. budget
A pledge to fund sustainable farming practices is among little new for farmers in Manitoba’s provincial budget Wednesday. Finance Minister Greg Selinger referred to “a multi-year funding plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting sustainable farm practices, trucking technologies, active transport initiatives and green heating technologies,” but a dollar figure and specifics weren’t yet […] Read more
Ont. facing up to 40 per cent fewer hog farms
(Resource News International) — Canadian hog producers will continue to liquidate their herds in the coming year with no apparent end in sight to soaring corn prices, according to industry sources. The release of the March 31 U.S. Department of Agriculture prospective plantings report confirmed what most people in the industry already suspected, namely that […] Read more
Even more Canadian cattle being fed in U.S.
(Resource News International) — The high cost of weight gain in Canada, together with poor returns for finished cattle, have led to a steady stream of Canadian cattle moving to the U.S. for feeding, according to sources who expect the trend would continue unless something drastically changes in the market. As of March 1, the […] Read more
Swine cull program starts April 14
The national cull breeding swine program will start taking applications from hog producers on April 14. The Canadian Pork Council, which will administer the $50 million federal program, said in a release Wednesday that payments of $225 per breeding sow, boar or pregnant gilt, less the animal’s selling price, will be available for approved producers […] Read more
Manitoba hog farmers get AgriStability TAP
Manitoba’s beleaguered hog farmers will be offered early access to their expected AgriStability payout for 2008, under a Targeted Advance Payment (TAP) program announced Tuesday. Letters are in the mail to eligible Manitoba hog producers with information about the amount of their advance and how to receive a payment, the federal and provincial governments said […] Read more
Viterra buys Alta. feed mill
Grain company Viterra’s feed division has closed a deal to buy V-S Feed and Agri-Supplies of Ponoka, Alta. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, includes a feed premix mill with annual capacity of about 8,000 tonnes per year, the Regina grain company said in a release Monday. The deal also includes a retail outlet, which […] Read more
Ont. animal distress law exempts livestock work
Ontario’s plans to broaden its animal welfare legislation will exempt livestock producers from new laws that will make it an offence to put animals in “distress.” The provincial government on Wednesday announced it would introduce an overhaul of its Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act that allows animal welfare officers new powers to inspect premises […] Read more
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