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The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is officially on the road to choosing a new leader. Party members voted for Wayne Ewasko, the MLA for Lac du Bonnet since 2011, and a former minister of education and early childhood learning to serve as the party’s interim leader and leader of the Official Opposition. “I’m extremely honoured to have been chosen by our PC caucus to lead them going into the leadership race,” he told media at the Manitoba Legislature on Jan. 29. He will be in these positions until party members elect a new leader in a leadership contest planned for later in 2024. Ewasko takes over for Heather Stefanson. She announced her resignation as leader on Jan. 15, calling her time as leader and premier “the honour of a lifetime,” and says she’s looking forward to watching the PCs hold the NDP government accountable. She publicized her intent to step down following the

Image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay It’s over. Two of France’s main farmers’ unions asked their members to end the protest that was blocking access in and out of the capital city of Paris after the government agreed to their demands. The French farmers took no pleasure in harassing their fellow countrymen. But it appears as though their hold on the arteries going in and out of the capital worked, as the French government agreed to many of their demands. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, just three weeks into the job, had failed with his initial attempt to quell the blockade that was starving Parisians of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. His second attempt went much better. The French protest was initiated after farmers said their concerns were being ignored by the government. French farmers were angry over rising input costs, increased taxes, falling income, and European agriculture policies. With regards to its European neighbours, French farmers were upset about its government purchasing too much agricultural product from Ukraine. Understanding that Ukraine is at war with Russia and can use financial aid, French farmers railed against its government for being too generous in flooding the market with Ukrainian goods, not to mention that they believe much of the Ukrainian products to be substandard to expected French food quality. Worse still, for the French farmers, the Ukrainian products were being sold at a cheaper price than their own. For French farmers, purchasing too many substandard and inexpensive Ukrainian agricultural products had affected their livelihood while lowering the accepted food standards for consumers. The French farmers said they had been raising their concerns to the government for years, but to finally get their point across, a tractor blockade at every roadway leading in and out of Paris caught not only the government’s attention but the attention of other European countries facing similar shortcomings. By way of apology and righting the situation, Attal said the government wants French ag to come first—French food products, produced in France, by its farmers. As well, the French government said it would create a $162 million financial aid package for its farmers. A financial aid package worth over CDN $215 million was promised for French livestock farmers. As well, the Prime Minister said there would be a ban on the import of fruit and vegetables treated with , an insecticide that may be harmful to honeybees. has been banned in the EU since 2019, but both Canada and the US allow its use, though only for limited purposes in Canada. Most importantly, the France plan—which follows the UK and EU’s plans—to reduce pesticide usage has been put on hold. While pesticide reduction is still being considered, the French government said it wants to implement an easier way for farmers to reduce pesticide usage while maintaining its yield quantity and quality. It just doesn’t know how to do that yet. The farmers’ action wasn’t a complete blockage. Aft

Image via Grigorenko/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo Moo-ve over gassy feed, there’s a new additive in town. Just approved for use in Canada, , , is a livestock ingredient that will reduce cattle methane emissions via burps and… you know. With approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Bovaer product is said to neutralize methane in the rumen. When microbes in the rumen break down the feed, hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases are released, which combine when there’s an enzyme present. But Bovaer suppresses the enzyme, thereby reducing the amount of methane created. With less methane created, it also means fewer possible methane gases released by the cattle. Dsm-Firmenich said that the product (produced by the same-named Bovaer) could be available for sale in Canada in a few weeks. Dsm-Firmenich has the right to sell the product in Canada. Additional Canadian research into ingredient usage shows that cattle achieve a small increase in feed efficiency without any change in their growth rate. Mark van Nieuwland, the Vice-President of Bovaer, stated: “This will benefit Canadian farmers, the efforts of the sector, and support Canada in delivering on its international emissions reduction commitments, such as the Global Methane Pledge.” According to van Nieuwland, Canadian cattle feeders can reduce cow methane emissions by an average of 45 percent by using the ingredient. For dairy cows, the company said that the product additive can “reduce methane emissions by 30 percent on average, potentially lowering the overall greenhouse gas footprint per litre of milk by 10 to 15 percent.”

By Farms.com Calling all farmers interested in maximizing winter wheat crop returns! The 2024 Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) is now open for registration, offering a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into crop performance. Established in 2021, the Great Lakes YEN is dedicated to helping farmers elevate their winter wheat yields by providing in-depth knowledge about crop performance. Registration for this insightful program closes on February 2nd, 2024, or when maximum capacity is reached – so act fast! Participants in the Great Lakes YEN can look forward to: Collecting soil and plant samples, meticulously analyzed at an accredited laboratory. Engaging in multiple in-person networking events, fostering connections with farmers and researchers. Receiving a comprehensive, personalized report summarizing data specific to their individual fields. Agronomists and crop consultants are integral to the success of the Great Lakes

A new HyLife weaning ramp has the potential to improve animal care across the industry. The in-house invention has even captured the interest of renowned animal behavioralist, Dr. Temple Grandin. "This innovative system should be in every sow farm for vaccinating weaned piglets… I can't say enough good things about it. It should go industry-wide. I was amazed how well those little pigs used the ramp; that's the kind of stuff that makes handling easier," shared Dr. Temple Grandin. Grandin is a leading expert in her field, and as part of HyLife's ongoing commitment to animal welfare, the company recently engaged the professor of animal science and distinguished author. She traveled to Canada to extensively tour operations, including HyLife farms and a processing plant in Neepawa, Manitoba. During her evaluation, Grandin paid close attention to animal handling practices and was extremely impressed with the uniqueness of a recently invented HyLife ramp. "It gets rid of the back-breaking work. It's also going to improve good treatment of the pigs as the job is so much easier. And you make a job easier, and people are going to like it a whole lot better. That is something the whole industry should have," said Grandin. The ramp was created by HyLife's Continuous Improvement Team (CI), a group of engineers dedicated to solving challenges while improving animal welfare. After listening to farm employees, it was discovered that picking up piglets and bringing them to the employee performing the vaccination placed a strain on both the staff and animals.

MPs returned to Ottawa on Jan. 29 for the first question period of the winter session. Farms.com connected with Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, for a preview of this upcoming session and where agriculture could fit into the equation. Most of the spotlight will go towards broader issues, he says. “As we inch closer to an election, I expect the pressure to increase on the government on topics like affordability,” he told Farms.com. But that’s not to say there won’t be opportunities for agriculture to have its time in the sun. Bill C-234, which provides carbon tax exemptions for propane and natural gas used to dry grain and heat barns, is coming back to the House of Commons. This after senators voted in December in favour of an amendment that shortens the sunset clause in the bill from eight years to three. And because Conservative MP introduced Bill C-234, making it a private member’s bill, the government can decide when to bring it up for debate. There doesn’t appear to b

After a disastrous 2023 financially, Canadian producers are looking for a better 2024. The USDA projects that Canada’s pork production will decline a further -1.2% in 2024 and Farm Credit Canada anticipates producers are going to face tight margins until at least the summer. In the last couple of weeks financial projections for 2024 have changed rather dramatically (see charts below). These charts are projections for producers in Ontario for 2024. The first chart came out on January 3, 2024, and the second chart came out on January 10, 2024. As you can see for the calendar year 12 month average the projection went from a loss of $16.23 to $1.48 loss in the span of one week of projections. That dramatic change is positive news for a wounded industry and will hopefully continue in the direction where most of the 2024 calendar year will be profitable.

The Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center reports progress on multiple fronts during 2023.The Swine Health Information Center, as part of its January eNewsletter, has issued its 2023 progress report.SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says one of the key priorities in 2023 was the wean-to-harvest biosecurity research program. Quote-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center: We really wanted to enhance biosecurity in these phases of pork production thinking about the nursery, the grow-finish, the transportation to market and thinking about packing plant biocontainment to reduce the likelihood of pathogens coming back to the farm.We wanted to think about this in a comprehensive approach using both site and transportation biosecurity priorities. The way in which we were able to do that was to leverage the relationship and the funds by collaborating with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research as well as the Pork Checkoff to think about how do we put our funds together?We think about the top priorities for the industry and really try to advance our knowledge and our capability to enhance wean-to-harvest biosecurity. In 2023 we funded 16 individual research projects utilizing this program and these projects are very diverse, looking at for example how do we effectively utilize manure pumping in a more biosecure manner?Also thinking about can we rethink the farm entry system, so think about showering in in a new way in the absence of water, perhaps using an air shower, thinking about how do we motivate our caretakers to complete biosecurity protocols and overcome some of the barriers to that adoption. Dr. Niederwerder says we have a lot of great work that's in progress and we look forward to those results becoming available in 2024. SHIC's 2023 Progress report can be accessed at swinehealth.org.

An Assistant Professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is encouraging pork producers to consider the introduction of protocols to ensure pigs are not exposed by staff to Streptococcus zooepidemicus.Streptococcus zooepidemicus or Strep zoo, a bacterial infection that was first identified as causing disease in pigs in 2019, can result in dramatic symptoms including sudden death and can colonise and be spread by multiple species. Dr. Matheus Costa, an Assistant Professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and an Adjunct Professor at Utrecht University, says right now we know very little about the ability of Strep zoo to jump from pigs to people and then people to pigs. Quote-Dr. Matheus Costa-Western College of Veterinary Medicine: We know, we have evidence that it can jump from one species to the other and back so, people pigs, pigs people it goes both ways.People in general would not show up in our list of possible culprits when we had Strep zoo introduced to a barn.The thing is people have access to everything in the barn most of the time. We know that people can carry Strep zoo and may have been implicated on spreading Strep zoo between barns so, as we learn more about it, we may have better recommendations on how to deal with this but we're still unaware of how can we prevent humans being a vector in this case?We do know that humans can carry for a very long period of time. I've talked about weeks to perhaps months and years.It's hard to give specific directions at this point but it's important that people are aware that this is a possibility.Again, wearing protective equipment, making sure biosecurity measures are being followed such as shower in shower out, dedicated clothes, gloves, masks, all of that. We believe all of that will help at least minimise the spread and the risk of people being the agent of introduction of Strep zoo into a herd.Dr. Costa says we're still learning about Strep zoo and its impact on different species but the fact that we're raising awareness is helping veterinarians and animals owners deal with it a bit better.

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center says the ongoing spread and resurgence of African Swine Fever remains the dominant global swine disease concern.As part of its January eNewsletter the Swine Health Information Center has released its domestic and global swine disease monitoring reports.SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says this month's report highlights events across six continents. Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center: ASF still is the predominant disease that is being seen and a lot of countries have had both some new infections but also resurging infections.There are about six different countries, notably Sweden included in that, that have had first time infections noted with African Swine Fever and so that continues to expand the footprint that ASF has globally and that's a bit concerning. But also, as we look at other countries that have had ASF prior, there were five different countries that experienced resurgence of African Swine Fever in their pig populations and notable both in Italy and the Philippines just to mention a few, so definitely something to be aware of.There are other diseases that have been out there but, as a whole, looking at other pathogens such as Foot and Mouth even Nipah virus, those types of viruses actually showed a reduction so that part is at least a little bit of good news. But again, I think that this highlights that African Swine fever is still a big one that people are fighting.There's also a lot of activity for Foot and Mouth Disease in Asia and in Africa. Dr. Becton says the first-time detection at the Taiwanese border of a recombinant strain of ASF identified in 2022, resulting from the illegal import of products from China, highlights the need for continued border protection and monitoring.She suggests its up to all of us to ensure we don't have products imported illegally by keeping up our education for incoming folks and monitoring at our own borders.

Researchers with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine are looking at the use of biomarkers as an indicator of animal welfare.Biological markers are observable characteristics that can be measured to determine whether an animal is in a state of good health and well being. Research conducted through the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Swine Welfare Research Program, which explored the potential application of biomarkers to assess swine welfare, was discussed as part of a forum held as part of the 2024 Banff Pork Seminar. Darian Pollock, a PhD candidate in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says the objective was identify indicators of welfare, in the case of her work measuring chronic stress. Quote-Darian Pollock-Western College of Veterinary Medicine: We wanted to compare these physiological biomarkers so we were focussing on cortisol which is indicative of stress and another hormone called dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA.We looked at those two physiological markers but we also wanted to compare this with productivity as well as behavior to see if they were related to each other as kind of a cross validation. We raised pigs in two different environments and this was done in two different studies.We looked at pigs that were either reared with straw or without straw and we collected hair and this was used to measure the hormones.Hormones incorporate into the hair as the hair grows.We can shave the hair, take it back to the lab and see the hormone levels within the hair over a long period of time. Pollock says there were no differences in hair hormone concentrations in the groups raised with or without straw but there were some behavioural differences, including indications of more aggression in the group reared without straw and some minor increases in skin lesions, no differences in productivity but there was a considerable amount of individual variation.Full details on this work can be accessed through swinewelfare.com.

Farm Health Guardian reports enhancements to its biosecurity software will help farmers and food companies improve disease prevention by identifying and alerting them to potential biosecurity breaches. Farm Health Guardian is a biosecurity software system that helps protect against diseases on pig farms and poultry farms by allowing farmers and food companies to track animal movement.Farm Health Guardian Customer Success Representative Adam Black says there's been a lot of research that shows the movement of animals, the movement of people and bringing various items onto the farm increases the risk of the spread of disease. Quote-Adam Black-Farm Health Guardian: Different companies have different way of managing their vehicles.Lots of these farmers and food companies use a GPS system to manage their logistics on their vehicles, route tracking and planning.That's what we're integrating with. We're integrating with these preexisting fleet management softwares so Motive, which is our newest integration that we've just linked with, tracks these vehicles and then we can add a biosecurity layer.Its main purpose is to monitor these vehicles.Lots of them can tell when it's time for service but what we're connecting in on is the GPS data and when it enters a farm property, we can then know it’s time of entry and exit and then we can also add a breach alert to that. We can set up different protocols with our system to alert veterinary teams, logistics teams, whoever needs to know that there is a potential breach and that action needs to be taken. Black says by monitoring truck movement veterinarian and logistics teams, can identify the vehicles that might be at risk and pull them, clean them and get them back on the road as quickly and efficiently as possible before they enter any farm properties.Further details can be accessed by searching Farm Health Guardian.

https://www.farms.com/author-bio/andrew-joseph.aspx">Andrew Joseph; Image from Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home Jack Riddell, a former Ontario Minister of Agriculture, passed away on January 23, 2024, at the age of 92. He served in that role from 1985 to 1989. Riddell had also been an MPP for Huron and Huron-Middlesex from 1971 to 1990, winning six consecutive elections for the Ontario Liberal Party. For the Ontario Liberals, he was elected and became the Agriculture Critic in 1973. He was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Huron County, earning a B.Sc. In Agriculture from the OAC in 1957. He was the Assistant Agricultural Representative in Hastings and Essex Counties, then the Assistant Manager of the Ontario Stockyards. At home, he raised cattle and sheep on a farm near Dashwood, Ontario, even while working as a teacher at the South Huron District High School. He owned and operated the Hensall Livestock Sales Barn and worked as an auctioneer jointly with his brother Doug. After becoming the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food in 1985, he introduced the program and formed an of rural MPPs. For his efforts to sustain and advance agriculture, Riddell was elected to the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame in June 2017. A service for Riddell took place on January 27, 2024.

By: Farms.com As we enter 2024, FCC says the Canadian cattle and hog sectors are bracing for a year of mixed fortunes. While cattle prices are expected to stabilize or slightly increase for most categories, the hog sector shows a more varied outlook. For cattle, 2023 was a year of notable price increases, particularly for 550 lb. steers, which saw a rise of over 37%. In 2024, prices for most cattle categories, except Ontario 850 lb. steers, are forecasted to either stabilize or show a slight year-over-year increase. This trend is good news for the sector, considering the profitability margins in the cow/calf sector are still expected to be above the five-year average. However, feedlot profitability might face challenges due to high hay prices, especially in Southern Alberta, where prices have doubled since 2020. The hog sector presents a different scenario. Isowean prices are projected to be lower year-over-year, with Manitoba prices for feeders and market hogs remaining stable at 2023 levels. Eastern Canada might see a positive trend with hog prices likely trending higher. However, margins for Isowean are expected to be close to breakeven in the East, with a slightly more favorable outlook in Manitoba. Two key trends worth monitoring in 2024 are feed availability and the global and domestic demand for pork. Feed costs, though easing, remain a concern with barley and corn prices still above their five-year averages. This trend is exacerbated by increasing hay prices in Alberta due to last year's drought impacting alfalfa production. On the pork demand front, global dynamics are shifting. China, the world's largest pork producer and consumer, is experiencing slower economic growth and population decline, leading to a decrease in its domestic pork consumption and production. This change is impacting Canadian exports, which have not reached their pre-African Swine Fever levels. Canadian pork producers also face challenges with a long-term declining trend in domestic demand and global economic pressures affecting export markets. However, recent price competitiveness has helped boost domestic consumption. 2024 is shaping up to be a year of cautious optimism for the Canadian cattle s

https://www.farms.com/author-bio/andrew-joseph.aspx">Andrew Joseph; Image from Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home Jack Riddell, a former Ontario Minister of Agriculture, passed away on January 23, 2024, at the age of 92. He served in that role from 1985 to 1989. Riddell had also been an MPP for Huron and Huron-Middlesex from 1971 to 1990, winning six consecutive elections for the Ontario Liberal Party. For the Ontario Liberals, he was elected and became the Agriculture Critic in 1973. He was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Huron County, earning a B.Sc. In Agriculture from the OAC in 1957. He was the Assistant Agricultural Representative in Hastings and Essex Counties, then the Assistant Manager of the Ontario Stockyards. At home, he raised cattle and sheep on a farm near Dashwood, Ontario, even while working as a teacher at the South Huron District High School. He owned and operated the Hensall Livestock Sales Barn and worked as an auctioneer jointly with his brother Doug. After becoming the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food in 1985, he introduced the program and formed an of rural MPPs. For his efforts to sustain and advance agriculture, Riddell was elected to the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame in June 2017. A service for Riddell took place on January 27, 2024.