Pigeons no circovirus threat Friday, June 20, 2008 © AgMedia Inc. by BETTER FARMING STAFF The provincial veterinarian, based in Fergus, says to his knowledge pigeons do not carry circovirus inside their intestinal systems and do not excrete it in their waste. University of Guelph-based virologist Suzy Carman adds that birds have their own circovirus but it is "host specific" and not transmissible to pigs. Pigeons have become a concern of poultry producers and some pork producers since the announcement this week of the failure of Waterloo-based Pigeon King International. The company sold pigeon pairs to breeders and contracted to buy offspring back; there appears to be no other buyer. In a letter to holding barn operators and some contract holders, PKI's founder, Arlan Galbraith suggested releasing pigeons into the wild to fend for themselves as an alternative to euthanizing them. Many pigeon barns are located in Waterloo, Perth, Oxford and Wellington Counties, also major pork producing areas. Poultry producers remain concerned that released pigeons may spread disease and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is urging producers to euthanize birds rather than release them. BF Pigeon King breeders turn to squab markets Agricorp audit reaches final stage
Wet Spring Delays Ontario Field Crop Progress Sunday, May 31, 2026 Persistent rainfall across Ontario through late May temporarily stalled fieldwork, but improving weather conditions are now helping farmers regain momentum, according to the latest Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) Field Crop News report released May... Read this article online
Sunrise Farms Expanding National Footprint in Ontario Sunday, May 31, 2026 British Columbia-based poultry producer Sunrise Farms is building a new $100 million processing plant in Woodstock, Ontario, the development be for a 155,000-square-foot facility. Sunrise Farms is a large Canadian poultry processor based in British Columbia that acquired Sargent Farms... Read this article online
Saskatchewan Startup Unveils Portable Device to Detect Crop Diseases in the Field Friday, May 29, 2026 With global crop losses from pests and diseases reaching as high as 40 percent annually, a Saskatchewan-based startup is working to equip farmers with faster, more practical tools to protect their yields. PathoScan Technologies, founded in Saskatoon, has developed a portable... Read this article online
Falling Behind on Direct Alcohol Shipping Deadline Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s small alcohol producers are growing increasingly frustrated as a promised timeline for direct-to-consumer (DTC) alcohol shipping reforms approaches with little visible progress. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling out federal and provincial... Read this article online
Rural Canada Is Critical to Trade, Food Security and Economic Recovery Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada is facing global instability, affordability pressures and growing urgency to rebuild its economic foundations. Rural Canada is one of the country’s most important economic assets. Although only about 16% to 18% of Canadians live in rural communities, leaders say those regions... Read this article online