Beijing/China – China wants to turn its grain basket in the northeast into a national meat and dairy production base, said the agriculture ministry on Thursday, as part of a broader plan to create stronger demand for the region’s main crops. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia account for around a quarter of China’s total […] Read more
China promotes livestock farming to digest corn stocks
Hogs seen as key factor in input cost hikes
CNS Canada — Canada’s Farm Input Price Index has climbed slightly for the first quarter of this year. Canada-wide, the index rose 1.3 per cent for the first quarter of this year compared to the final quarter of 2016. When comparing this year’s first quarter to last year’s first quarter, however, input prices in the […] Read more
Oklahoma wildfires kill thousands of pigs
Reuters — Wildfires devastated a Smithfield Foods hog farm in Laverne, Oklahoma, killing at least several thousand pigs, company and local officials said Friday. The exact number of swine killed in the Oklahoma fire, which began on Monday, was not immediately known. Smithfield did not say how many died in the blaze, but said no […] Read more
U.S. Plains wildfires leave thousands of cattle dead
Austin | Reuters — Fast-moving wildfires that burned through nearly two million acres of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas this week have devastated ranches and left thousands of cattle and other livestock dead, officials said Thursday. Many of the grass fires grew rapidly on Monday due to dry weather and parched prairie land in the Texas […] Read more
Record U.S. hog slaughter puts pressure on Canadian pork prices
CNSC/Winnipeg – A record week for U.S. slaughterhouses is weighing on hog prices in Canada. According to the USDA, hogs slaughtered under federal inspection for the week ended November 5 were pegged at 2.532 million head, which is an all-time record. That number is also up 7.2 per cent from the 2.362 million head processed a […] Read more
U.S. pork packing plant boom may boost hog prices
Chicago / Reuters – The U.S. pork industry could be heading for higher hog prices as processing plants come on line at an unprecedented rate with packers investing millions of dollars to satisfy the appetite of protein-hungry China, industry analysts said. Pork packers including Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, who slaughter hogs and turn them into […] Read more
Hog prices fighting for stability
CNS Canada — Canadian hog prices have been drifting slightly lower over the past few weeks but are showing signs of turning the corner, according to one industry expert in Saskatchewan. Brad Marceniuk, a provincial livestock development specialist in Saskatoon, said he expects prices to stabilize in the next couple of weeks as slaughter numbers […] Read more
Maple Leaf swings to profit but shares slide
Maple Leaf Foods swung to a rare profit in the third quarter as the company nears the end of its restructuring plan. The profit is only Maple Leaf’s second in the past 11 quarters, but was slightly smaller than expected. Shares fell nearly seven per cent in Toronto trading to $20.95, as the company delayed […] Read more
Producer groups lobby for TPP deal in Atlanta
Several Canadian grain and livestock commodity groups have representatives in Atlanta this week pressing for federal negotiators to keep Canada in play on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trade ministers from the 12 TPP countries — also including the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam — are meeting in […] Read more
Making a plan helps alleviate the stress of euthanasia
A detailed, written plan and standard operating practices are better for both the animals and staff
Reading Time: 3 minutes No one likes having to euthanize an animal, but it’s easier with a clear plan and proper protocols in place. Part of that is using “end points” as recommended by Canadian Council of Animal Care, said Craig Wilkinson, a professor and director of animal care for the faculty of agriculture, life and environmental sciences at […] Read more
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