Angry exchange on British pork prices Tuesday, May 31, 2011 Retailers and pork producers in Britain have been exchanging angry words over pork pricing.In early March, Andrew Opie, the director of food for the British Retail Consortium, complained in a letter to TheGrocer online magazine, that retailers "are an easy target" for pig producer protests. "Supermarkets don't pay producers directly for pork" and making pork more expensive in stores "will just cause customers to buy less, the exact opposite of what farmers want," he said.Stewart Houston, chair of the British Pork Executive (BPEX), replied to the same magazine that a BPEX report showed that retailers were making £16 million a week selling pork and pork products, "profitable processors" made £8 million and farmers were losing £3 million.Houston charged that retailers have recently been importing greatly increased volumes of cheap pork produced to lower welfare standards than currently apply in Britain.The reason behind the angry words, and the protests, is the feed pricing crisis in Britain. BP Pork exports contribute to Smithfield's profit comeback Behind the Lines - June/July 2011
How to Avoid Soil Compaction at Spring Planting Monday, March 16, 2026 Soil compaction is one of the most costly yet overlooked challenges facing cash crop producers. Often described by extension agronomists as a “silent yield robber,” compaction restricts root growth, reduces water infiltration, and limits nutrient uptake—sometimes for years after the damage... Read this article online
Global Market Volatility Sparks Concerns for Commodity Markets Monday, March 16, 2026 On the weekly with expert Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino, who shared that the markets moved positively in several sectors during the week of March 9 to 13, as a result of rising concerns about global price volatility, driven largely by higher crude oil... Read this article online
Record bulk grain exports at Port of Vancouver in 2025 Monday, March 16, 2026 Canadian ag helped the Port of Vancouver have a record year in 2025. “The Port of Vancouver handled 170.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo in 2025, an almost 8% increase compared to the previous record set in 2024,” the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said in a March 9... Read this article online
Small Firms Call for Energy Action Monday, March 16, 2026 Farmers and small business owners across Canada are urging governments to act quickly to strengthen the country’s domestic energy supply. According to new preliminary data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), many businesses believe stronger energy production and... Read this article online
Canada’s Real Seasons (According to Farmers Who Actually Live Here) Monday, March 16, 2026 According to a chart that’s been making the rounds on social media, courtesy of The Weather Network—the Canadian calendar has officially been updated. Apparently, we no longer live by the simple rhythm of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Instead, we now rotate through such crowd... Read this article online