Manitoba shuns proposal for hog farm stabilization

Manitoba’s provincial government will not back a hog stabilization program proposed by the Manitoba Pork Council. “We’re very disappointed by the decision,” said council chairman Karl Kynoch, who anticipates more producers will exit the pork industry as a result. “The only good thing is that now producers know that they are on their own and […] Read more

Twyla Francois, director of investigations with the Canadian arm of the Los Angeles-based group Mercy for Animals, says she doesn’t believe the pork industry is sincere about moving from gestation stalls to group housing. (Shannon VanRaes photo)

Pork sector reeling as hidden-camera footage goes national

Video shot at a farm in Manitoba’s Interlake region by an undercover animal rights activist unfairly depicts animal care practices in the province, farm groups say. Featured on CTV’s newsmagazine program W5, the grainy footage shows sows in gestation stalls, castration, tail docking, a cull sow being repeatedly shot with a captive bolt and piglets […] Read more


Maple Leaf Puratone offer sends message of stability to lenders

Maple Leaf Food’s agreement to purchase the Niverville-based Puratone Corporation is good news for Manitoba hog producers, according to the Manitoba Pork Council. "We’re happy to see that a Canadian company has purchased Puratone," said council chairman, Karl Kynoch. "We want to see plants here that can compete with their American counterparts." With two of […] Read more

Maple Leaf examines options after Olymel eyes Big Sky

Maple Leaf Foods is examining its options after competitor Olymel placed a "stalking horse" bid on Big Sky Farms of Saskatchewan. Big Sky is a supplier for Maple Leaf’s Brandon facility, but went into receivership earlier this fall. "We don’t expect any short-term impact on our hog supply and we have several contingency plans in […] Read more

Province offered aid before pigs shot at Manitoba barn

An west-central Manitoba hog producer is said to have turned down assistance from the provincial agriculture ministry in the lead-up to the eventual euthanizing of 1,300 young hogs. "We had discussed options with this producer about other steps he could have taken," Dr. Wayne Lees, Manitoba’s chief veterinarian, said of the situation at the farm […] Read more



Staples Canada picks up straw-based paper

Manitoba farmers could see a lucrative new market for straw emerge, as the province moves closer to becoming the site of North America’s first pulp and paper mill using straw. Prairie Pulp + Paper Inc. launched a new printer paper containing 80 per cent straw this summer, and if the product is a hit with […] Read more



Dairy farmers ready for tightened SCC levels

Canadian dairy farmers will have to meet new standards for somatic cell counts (SCCs) beginning this summer, but they appear to be ahead of the curve. Effective Aug. 1, regulatory limits for producers will be lowered to 399,000 per millilitre from 499,000 per millilitre. However, "the change is not going to affect most dairy producers," […] Read more

Corn to rule at Husky ethanol plant this spring

Husky Energy’s ethanol plant in Manitoba is set to ditch wheat and focus on corn for a two-month-long run this spring. "In the next couple of months, March and April, we’re going to do a 100 per cent corn run," said Raymond Dyck, grain marketing co-ordinator for the Husky plant at Minnedosa, about 50 km […] Read more