Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar is going virtual this year but the tradition of awarding the FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production will continue. The contest is open to anyone who has developed an innovation — big or small — that is relevant to the North American pork industry. “The creativity and innovation of entries […] Read more
Pork innovators urged to enter contest
Entry deadline Oct. 31
Alberta Pork urges producers to consider marketing co-op
Banding together would fix a ‘broken’ system and force packers to pay a fair price, says organization
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Pork is urging hog farmers in the province to band together to force packers to pay a fair price for their animals. And that includes thinking about returning to a single-desk model or forming marketing co-operatives to “shift the balance of power back to producers.” In an analysis of the sector covering the past […] Read more
African swine fever: The other virus that is changing the world order
A third of global pork production has been vaporized, and the effects are being felt worldwide
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s another virus that has been upending the world order in ways that no one ever could have predicted, although it’s mostly flying under the radar. “Right now, 75 per cent of the world’s hogs are threatened, and a third of the global swine herd just vanished last year,” Brett Stuart of Global AgriTrends said […] Read more
Battered pork sector proposes ‘simple solution’ to trigger aid
Upping the payout from AgriStability would throw a lifeline to hog producers facing ruin, says pork council
Reading Time: 3 minutes With pork producers fighting to stay afloat but government unwilling to step in, industry leaders have come up with a new pitch: Instead of making it easier to get assistance, have AgriStability pay out more when things are really bad. In a recent letter to the country’s ag ministers, Canadian Pork Council chair Rick Bergmann […] Read more
Hog sector is grim, cattle is recovering
Cattle backlog is being cleared but hog producers are losing upwards of $50 on every pig they sell
Reading Time: 4 minutes The beef sector is regaining some optimism, but pork producers are still fighting to stay afloat. “Our producers are losing a lot of money,” said Darcy Fitzgerald, executive director of Alberta Pork. “It truly is, right now, related to COVID-19. The price that we’re seeing that they’re being paid, is related to what is going […] Read more
Pork is profitable, but pigs are a money-loser in Alberta
Summer is when hog producers make their money — but this year, they’re losing big time, say officials
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s an everyday act — but one that shows why hog producers in this province are getting near the end of their rope. An Alberta producer recently delivered 200 pigs to a packing plant and got paid $4,000 less than it cost to raise those animals. And then he had to disinfect his truck at […] Read more
China says it’s winning the battle against African swine fever
When processing returns to normal, Chinese demand — if it continues — could lift battered markets here
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chinese hog industry officials say the country is poised to put African swine fever behind it as early as next year. But a leading Canadian authority says that may be premature. The fatal pig disease devastated China’s hog herd — the world’s largest — reducing it by around half last year and prompting the government to […] Read more
Producers need $35 a hog immediately, says Alberta Pork
Sector facing losses of $675 million and ‘desperately needs a lifeline’ in the face of plunging prices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s pork producers need government aid of $35 a head just to keep their heads above water in the short term, say industry officials. “The hog industry desperately needs a lifeline,” said Alberta Pork chair Brent Moen. “Our producers are drowning in a sea of red ink, and we have our federal and provincial bureaucrats […] Read more
COVID-19 forces Tyson to shutter two major U.S. pork plants
UPDATED — Reuters — Tyson Foods is shuttering two pork processing plants, including its largest in the United States, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, further tightening meat supplies after other major slaughterhouse shutdowns. The closures are limiting the amount of meat the U.S. can produce during the outbreak and adding stress on farmers […] Read more
Pork supply chain not experiencing disruptions, says hog marketing agency
Entire sector has strong biosecurity protocols, says general manager of the Western Hog Exchange
Reading Time: 2 minutes Prices are soft but the hog supply chain is working well, says the general manager of the Western Hog Exchange. The typical mid-March price rally hasn’t occurred but COVID-19 has roiled all markets, said Brent Bushell. “It’s no different than the stock markets, and everything else. It’s the uncertainty,” said Bushell. “I think people are […] Read more
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