Behind the Lines - October 2012 Tuesday, October 2, 2012 That term "perfect storm," a description of an event where rare circumstances combine to make a situation much worse, has been used to describe the pork industry far too many times in recent years. This year's perfect storm is a drought that is driving up feed prices drastically, stretching farmers to their financial limits, at the same time as pork producers are coming face to face with strengthening demands from activists to change how they manage their gestating sows.Better Pork writer Don Stoneman has revisited this issue, looking at the nuts and bolts of how a couple of producers have managed sows using relatively cheap conversions of conventional barns to incorporate low cost floor feeding of grouped dry sows. A great deal of science has gone into this. Our story outlines how some of that science has been put to work to convert smaller and medium-sized sow operations. There still remain questions as to whether floor feeding groups can be effective in larger barns, particularly farms where there is hired labour. This story starts on page 6."Perfect storms" affect European pork producers too. As we've reported over the years, here in Ontario hardship can be a driver of innovation. One Danish initiative is focused on exotic pork. And are their opportunities in "bacon from black Iberian swine" or "Hungarian curly-haired hog chops? Our European correspondent Norman Dunn has these stories on page 30.It's often been said that Europe provides a roadmap for animal welfare issues that are headed here. Tail docking is officially illegal for hogs in Europe. As Norman reports, most farmers simply ignore the law. Now there's a new study supporting the economics of this strategy. See details on page 25. BPROBERT IRWIN The pressure to move to loose housing builds across North America Swine exporters get less money
Prairie ag organizations join Global Agriculture Technology Exchange Wednesday, September 18, 2024 Three ag organizations from western Canada have announced their involvement to help position Canada as a world leader in cereal grains. Alberta Grains, the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and the Manitoba Crop Alliance are contributing more than $13 million towards the Global... Read this article online
Alistair MacGregor no longer federal NDP agriculture critic Wednesday, September 18, 2024 tom:11px">The federal NDP has a new agriculture critic. Richard Cannings, the MP for South Okanagan – West Kootenay, is stepping into the role after Alistair MacGregor, the MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, is moving onto different responsibilities. “Big news today, as I have... Read this article online
Where could ag fit in the fall session of Parliament? Tuesday, September 17, 2024 MPs returned to Ottawa this week to begin the fall session of Parliament. With the NDP pulling out of its supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, a federal election could be triggered at any time if a non-confidence vote passes in the House. The carbon tax, cost of living... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
Canada rail union launches court challenges to back-to-work order Monday, September 16, 2024 The union representing workers at Canada's two main rail companies said on Friday it had filed court challenges against rulings by the country's industrial labor board that forced them back to work,Reuters reported. On Saturday, the board accepted a request from the government to order... Read this article online