Hog farmers and their local and provincial associations recently donated lunch to pork processing plant workers. The event was part of the Pork Industry Gratitude Project, started in Perth County. Front-line workers at the Sofina Foods Inc. processing plant in Burlington got lunch from hog farmers on May 13, to show their appreciation for their […] Read more
Tag Archives ontario pork — page 2
Hog farmers give back to processing workers
Sofina Foods workers had their lunch paid for by hog farmers
Major Ontario pork packer expects to re-open Monday
Conestoga Meats went offline April 27
The hog slaughter and processing plant billed as Ontario’s second-biggest pork producer expects to be back in business Monday after a week-long COVID-19-related shutdown. Conestoga Meats, based at Breslau, just east of Kitchener, notified hog farmers and shippers on Friday that it would suspend “most operations” during the week of April 27 to May 1, […] Read more
Olymel reducing Ontario hog numbers
Company is in court Monday to try to get out a requirement to take Quebec hogs first
Quebec pork processor Olymel is taking about half of the pigs it usually does from Ontario and is working to get out of contracts with producers, due to processing shortages related to COVID-19. Olymel informed Ontario producers on April 2 that it would be invoking Force Majeure – the clause in contracts that covers unforeseen […] Read more
New Elora swine research facility gets government, Ontario Pork support
A state-of-the-art facility is expected to help attract leading researchers and funding
A new swine research centre looks like it will be moving ahead with an investment of $12 million by the provincial government and $3 million from Ontario Pork for a total of $15 million. The centre will be based at the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station, part of a long-term process to bring a […] Read more
Alliance Genetics growing Ontario hog nucleus with new member
The Cronin family’s new Norfolk County barn will be a purebred genetic nucleus for AGC
Alliance Genetics is expanding its Ontario purebred nucleus herd with a new partner. Mike and Amy Cronin of Cronin Family Farms are joining Alliance Genetics Canada (AGC) with a new 1,500-sow barn in Norfolk County that will serve as a purebred genetic nucleus for Vista Villa Genetics, a partner in AGC. The Cronins join existing […] Read more
Can Canada break away from U.S. livestock pricing?
Canadian prices have plunged in concert with the U.S. market’s response to that country’s disruptive trade agenda. Some are asking whether Canada can decouple to a pricing mechanism more closely tied to global fundamentals
Pork, beef and other meat prices in Canada have been driven down over the past two months to where farmers are losing money on most animals they ship. The decline is mostly driven by tariffs placed on U.S. pork by China and Mexico in retaliation for American tariffs on steel and aluminum. Canadian pricing is […] Read more
Making bacon at the Ontario Pork Congress
There were a record 60-plus entries at the Bacon Maker Classic at the Ontario Pork Congress this year. The 4-H members showed their market pigs in showmanship and confirmation classes. Pigs mill about as the judge looks over this Bacon Maker Classic class for conformation.
Kicking the antimicrobial habit
Farmers have already lost ability to use antimicrobials for growth enhancement; tighter purchasing restrictions are next
Farmers worry new Health Canada regulations that require veterinary prescriptions for commonly used antimicrobials will affect the industry’s competitiveness. Why it matters: Resistance to antimicrobials continues to grow among diseases that harm humans. Limiting the amount of those antimicrobials used in animal agriculture has become a step to maintaining antimicrobials for human use. The use […] Read more
Battling hog barn bugs
Farmers dealing with tighter access to antimicrobials look to prevention versus treatment
Livestock farmers across Canada are bracing for extra costs as Health Canada moves to further lock down their access to antimicrobials, but Huron Country hog farmers Tara and Dennis Terpstra anticipate an easy transition. When their business arrangement changed in 2015, the Terpstras seized the opportunity to re-evaluate their herd management. The result was a […] Read more
Need growing for big data on pigs
There are an increasing number of projects that collect and share data in the swine industry, to increase efficiency and manage disease
Big data and information systems are becoming an increasingly large part of the pork industry in Ontario. Systems that were created independently for disease surveillance and software to manage pig traceability are now starting to converge, creating more efficiencies and higher value information for the sector. Why it matters: There are increasing demands for documentation […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
