CNS Canada — Over a year after porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) tore into North America’s hog supply, hog production is on the upswing — but the same can’t be said for prices. “I would say prices are likely nearing the bottom. We should start to rebound here once barbecue season sets in,” said Brad Marceniuk, […] Read more
Pork prices near bottom but should climb soon, analyst says
USDA hog report confirms active herd growth as PED fears ease
Reuters — The U.S. hog herd grew seven per cent during the December-February quarter versus the same period last year, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed on Friday, reflecting producer profitability and the less-severe porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus, said analysts. Hog farmers willingly expanded their herds after vaccines and tighter biosecurity measures offset […] Read more
Don’t expect hog heaven in 2015
Analyst Kevin Grier says markets overreacted to PEDv last year, but the current drop in prices is likely overdone, too
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s been a year since porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was found in Canada, and the wave of high prices caused by the disease seems to be coming to an end. “Traders seem to think this disease has been licked and is behind us because the pricing now on hogs in futures markets are such […] Read more
A dark cloud with a silver lining for hog producers in 2014
Five to Remember: The threat of PEDv hung over the sector all year, but the virus was kept at bay and strong prices helped heal years of hurt
Reading Time: 3 minutes Back in April, Murray Markert spoke for the entire Alberta pork sector when asked to sum up the mood of producers. “Relief” was the Vulcan farmer’s single-word answer. And that’s a good way to sum up the entire year. Despite a close call in October, the sector was poised to end the year the way […] Read more
Upping biosecurity will pay dividends for years
Reading Time: 2 minutes The hog industry’s response to PEDv was a huge win for animal health, says a veterinarian who was on the front line of the effort in Alberta. “The pork industry already had the highest biosecurity standards out there, but with this disease, we’ve really put a lot of emphasis on it, and people have responded […] Read more
Nursery barn Quebec’s sixth case of PED
Another nursery barn in Quebec’s Monteregie is the site of the province’s sixth case of porcine epidemic diarrhea in hogs, provincial officials said Thursday. The infections were confirmed Wednesday through lab tests on fecal samples from a 5,000-hog operation at St-Aime, about 30 km southeast of Sorel, Quebec’s provincial swine health team (EQSP) said in […] Read more
Two more Que. hog operations confirmed with PED
Two more hog operations in Quebec’s Monteregie — a nursery operation and a finishing barn — have been confirmed infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). Quebec’s provincial swine health team (EQSP) announced Wednesday that the two new cases — both in the St-Denis-sur-Richelieu area, about 25 km northwest of St-Hyacinthe — are “epidemiologically linked” to […] Read more
Hog nursery barn Quebec’s third PED case
A hog nursery operation in Quebec’s Monteregie was confirmed Dec. 31 as the province’s third case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. Quebec has previously booked two cases of on-farm outbreaks of the PED virus (PEDv) — both at hog finishing operations in the Monteregie in February and November 2014 respectively. The latest case […] Read more
Researchers identify new PEDv strain in Minnesota
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. researchers have identified a new strain of a hog disease that has wiped out millions of baby pigs, a sign the virus will keep mutating as producers work to contain it. A third strain of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was detected in a Minnesota hog herd and found to […] Read more
A memorable year in the books, and another one on the horizon
The past year reminded us — once again — to take nothing for granted, and that change is a constant
Reading Time: 2 minutes The year ended with the provincial political scene being turned on its head and a debate on how low the price a barrel of oil could fall. Who’d have thunk it — much less predicted it? The January 5 edition of Alberta Farmer takes a look back at some memorable stories from 2014 and some […] Read more
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