Smithfield moves into gas production Friday, April 8, 2016 The largest pork-producing company in the world is months away from opening the largest manure-to-energy project of its kind in the United States.Nine Smithfield Foods farms housing almost two million pigs in Missouri are involved. The US$120 million project, begun in 2014, involves installation of impermeable covers and flare systems on 88 existing lagoons, each capable of holding about 15 million U.S. gallons. The hog manure will produce approximately 2.2 billion cubic feet of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas annually, equal to 17 million gallons of diesel fuel. The equivalent of 850,000 tonnes of CO² will be prevented from entering the atmosphere. Rain will be kept out of the lagoons and odour reduced.The builders are Missouri-based Roeslein Alternative Energy and ABUTEC (an acronym for Advanced Burner Technologies.), based in Georgia. According to press releases and reports, ABUTEC will install 1.5 megawatt electrical generators to deal with excess methane, letting Smithfield access about US$1 million-worth of carbon credits. Duke Energy in North Carolina will purchase the gas to meet clean energy requirements for power generation. Blake Boxley, Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Smithfield Hog Production, says this project can be replicated across the country. BP Ontario's pork industry faces an era of 'accountability and change' That whacky Chinese pork stock market
SARM Calling for Stronger Rural Emergency Funding Friday, March 6, 2026 The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is calling on provincial and federal governments to strengthen funding and partnerships that support emergency response services across rural Saskatchewan. Rural municipalities playa major rolein protecting communities during... Read this article online
Ag included in Carney’s trip to Japan Friday, March 6, 2026 Canada’s ag industry is part of the equation when it comes to the country’s continued relationship with Japan. A March 6 joint statement by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicates establishing a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” which includes... Read this article online
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Alberta Pork Launches First-of-Its-Kind Retail Contest Thursday, March 5, 2026 Alberta Pork is putting Canadian pork in the spotlight this spring with a new retail promotion designed to encourage shoppers to choose Verified Canadian Pork (VCP) at the grocery store. Running from February 23 to March 30, the is the first initiative of its kind in Canada, offering... Read this article online