The week-long event, hosted by the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, is in its last dayafter opening its doors March 30.

The annual spring break tradition features entertainers, vendors, a long list of horse sports events, as well as other features that bring attendees up close and personal with agriculture.

Manitoba’s major farm commodity groups were also in attendance, many with hands-on activities or live animal displays set up to mimic farm conditions.

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Companies should “strictly implement capacity control measures, scientifically arrange production and operation, orderly reduce the number of breeding sows, and control the number of pigs slaughtered in a reasonable manner,” the statement read.

The remarks were made during a meeting with representatives from the country’s hog producers, the state planner said.

— Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo

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Live cattle gave up some of Tuesday’s gains before settling slightly higher, with a meatpacking plant on strike and dry weather and fires in Nebraska further tightening historically low cattle numbers.

CBOT corn futures climbed on Wednesday following crude oil prices, which rose more than five per cent on Wednesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to attack several energy facilities across the Middle East, heightening the risk of further disruptions to energy supplies in the region.

Strength in crude oil is seen as supportive given corn’s role as a feedstock for ethanol. However, rising corn prices also makes feeding cattle more expensive, supporting feeder cattle futures, according to Karl Setzer, co-founder of ConsusAg Consulting.

Meanwhile, workers have gone on strike at a large JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, which is likely to reduce U.S. beef production at a time when consumers face record prices for beef.

CME April live cattle settled 0.175 cents higher at 235.4 cents per pound. April feeders finished down 1.075 cents at 358.725 cents per pound.

Meanwhile, dry weather and fires in pasturelands of Nebraska could displace tens of thousands of head of cattle and spur ranchers to slaughter parts of the herd they have been working to rebuild, according to analysts.

Beef packer margins rose to $142.15 per head on Wednesday, up from gains of $128.90 on Tuesday, and losses of $10.45 a week ago, according to livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.

CME lean hog futures LHJ26 ended up 0.025 cent at 93.75 cents per pound.

— Reporting by Renee Hickman

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Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne made the announcement March 17.

“Agriculture is without a doubt one of the most important and investable sectors in our economy,” said federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald in a news release.

“The pace of technological advancement we’ve seen across the industry in recent years has been impressive, and investments like this will continue to accelerate innovation.”

The federal cash is part of an $50 million equity commitment alongside Idealist Capital to support the next phase of Solugen’s growth and commercial expansion.

Solugen produces and commercializes Azogen, a fast-release liquid ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizer derived from hog manure.

The investment will allow Solugen to expand capacity at its existing plant in St-Patrice-de-Beaurivage, Que. and construct a second facility in the province.

Solugen was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Lévis, Que. Its Azogen is produced through a fully circular process. By converting manure into high-performance fertilizer, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional fertilizers, the news release said.

The funding comes through the Canada Growth Fund, a $15 billion, arm’s length public investment vehicle launched by the federal government to attract private capital and invest in Canadian projects and businesses.

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Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) on March 18 said it will provide up to $150,000 for a three-year research project led by Dongyan Xu Niu, a microbiologist and associate professor in the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine.

Niu’s project will look at a new and different way to fight Streptococcus suis, a bacteria well known to cause respiratory infections, meningitis and sudden deaths in piglets after weaning.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canada’s hog farmers are mindful of over-reliance on antibiotics and could benefit from another way to keep S. suis in check.

The Calgary researchers plan to engineer beneficial lactobacillus bacteria to deliver enzymes that can specifically target and break down the S. suis pathogen, SIP said.

The team plans to identify and optimize these enzymes, integrate them into lactobacillus strains and then evaluate their ability to protect piglets from infection.

S. suis bacteria are endemic to Canada, colonizing most hog barns and spreading through contact with healthy carrier pigs after weaning, when antibodies from mother sows are unavailable to piglets. The bacteria are also known to be zoonotic, meaning they can cause severe infections in people who’ve had close contact with infected pigs.

“Strategic research investments like this help ensure Canadian producers have access to innovative tools and solutions to address priority health challenges in the barn,” SIP chair Mark Ferguson said in a release.

The funding for Niu’s project comes via SIP’s Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, which backs one- to three-year projects and runs until 2028. SIP said its support for this project is expected to mobilize up to $419,580 in total funding for it.

The U of Calgary project “reflects the type of collaborative, forward-looking research we aim to support” through the call for proposals, SIP general manager Daniel Ramage said in the same release.

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“We know domestic and international consumers will want to educate themselves on this technology, but it is important to note there is no mechanism to track or segregate this product through supply chains,” the Canadian Pork Council said in a March 3 statement.

Given the challenges of labelling, the council said it supports work to gain public acceptance for pork from these gene edited pigs.

In January, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave the green light to pigs developed by U.K.-based Genus PLC and PIC (Pig Improvement Company), ruling them safe for food and feed. The pigs have been gene edited to resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada also said that environmental and human health risks were no different than with pigs currently available. The CFIA and Health Canada also found no difference in nutritional value, according to a Jan. 23 news release.

Pork from gene edited pigs won’t require special labelling because Health Canada found no health and safety concerns.

Calls for mandatory labelling

However, some agriculture and consumer groups are calling for mandatory labelling of foods produced through gene editing and genetic engineering — including pork from the PRRS-resistant pigs and genetically engineered tomatoes recently approved in Canada.

In a letter to Health Minister Marjorie Michel, a group of organizations including the National Farmers Union and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) said mandatory labelling should be “urgently” implemented. It cited the recent approval of the pigs and tomatoes, and the imminent closure of the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB).

“Health Canada has committed ‘to the highest level of transparency’ relating to the genetically engineered pig. We support this goal but require clarification on how you will accomplish this promised transparency,” the letter says.

Health Canada has been working with that board since November on a public review of the National Standard for labelling and advertising regarding foods produced with genetic engineering. However, it was announced in the 2025 federal budget that the board would wind down activities.

“The CGSB is currently developing a transition plan to ensure reliable continuity and minimize disruption for partners and interested parties,” the government’s website says.

The letter does not specify what the groups’ concerns are about gene edited and genetically engineered foods. CBAN’s website says that GM foods are “approved for human consumption based on company-produced science” and that “there are very few long-term independent tests on GM foods.”

Organic groups have also called for mandatory labelling of gene edited crops, due to concerns about cross contamination. Canadian organic standards don’t allow for crops or animals bred with forms of genetic engineering.

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Canadian farmers and ranchers held 11.1 million cattle and calves on Jan. 1, up 2.5 per cent from one year before. Inventories rose across all categories of cattle. Beef heifers for breeding were up 4.8 per cent and beef cows were up 1.9 per cent.

Producers held 3.6 million calves, 4.3 per cent more than a year prior. This was mainly due to a 42.7 per cent increase in international imports of calves between July and December.

In the last six months of the year, slaughter of cattle and calves fell by 6.5 per cent to 1.6 million head, StatCan said. International exports dropped by 8.9 per cent to 361,300 head. Despite decreases, feeder and slaughter cattle prices climbed to record highs over the latter half of 2025 on global demand.

Hog inventories down

Canadian hog farmers reported 13.9 million hogs on farms as of Jan. 1, down 0.8 per cent from one year prior. They reported 1.2 million sows and gilts — up 0.4 per cent. The number of boars was unchanged at 15,300 head.

The pig crop for the second half of 2025 rose by three per cent year-over-year to 15.2 million. StatCan attributed this to an increase in demand from processors and international trade.

International exports of live hogs were up eight per cent year over year at 3.5 million head. Hog slaughter rose by 1.8 per cent to 10.9 million head.

Sheep and lamb inventory up

Canadian sheep and lamb inventories rose by three per cent year over year to 833,000 head.

The sheep breeding herd was up 2.2 per cent as inventories of ewes and replacement lambs both increased. Ram numbers were stable.

Sheep and lamb slaughter fell by 2.9 per cent year over year between July and December. Average producer prices for slaughter lambs fell well below those in the previous six months.

Between July and December, international exports of live sheep and lambs rose by 19.5 per cent to 4,900 head.

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This is the first confirmed case of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in Alberta since February 2022. The disease first arrived in Alberta in 2019.

The affected farm has a three-kilometre and a 10-kilometre buffer zone around it to prevent the disease from spreading. No other farms are located within these zones.

The impacted producer is working with the provincial chief veterinarian officer and Alberta Pork to investigate the source of the outbreak, contain the disease and avoid further spread.

As of February 19, all facilities participating in Alberta Pork’s Environmental Disease Monitoring Program have tested negative for PEDv and porcine deltacoronavirus.

Alberta Pork advised farmers to practice strict biosecurity protocols. Producers should enhance biosecurity on-farm and in transportation and submit all swine manifests, including farm-to-farm movements, in a timely manner. Any place off farm, such as an abattoir, should be considered as a potential source for spreading PEDv.

What is PEDv?

PEDv causes diarrhea and vomiting in pigs. The illness can kill younger pigs in herds that have not been previously exposed to the virus.

PEDv does not pose a risk to human health, food safety or other animals. The disease can be spread by direct contact between infected and non-infected pigs, but also by people’s clothing, boots, vehicles, equipment and any items contaminated by the feces of infected animals.

The disease is provincially regulated in Alberta, and suspect cases must be reported to the provincial authorities. Producers should contact their veterinarians immediately if their animals exhibit signs of PEDv.

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“A market of almost 300 million people is obviously an important one for Canadian producers. That’s why this step in diversifying Canada’s pork export markets is so crucial,” said Canadian Pork Council chair René Roy in a federal news release.

Indonesia has opened its market to Canadian pork and pork products. It will also now accept over-thirty-month bone-in beef and beef offal. Previously, Canadian producers could only export boneless beef.

Indonesian authorities also audited and approved more Canadian meat and livestock facilities.

Canada and Indonesia signed the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in September. The agreement will eliminate “nearly all” tariffs on Canadian beef and pork, the Feb. 23 news release said.

Indonesia is Canada’s sixth-largest agri-food and seafood export market, the federal government said.

“Indonesia is a dynamic and fast-growing economy,” said Albert Aringfield, vice president of international market development and promotion with Canada Beef International.

“This opportunity strengthens our relationships in Southeast Asia and supports the long-term sustainability and diversification of Canada’s beef sector.”

The federal government said it continues to negotiate export certificates for live breeding cattle, live swine, genetic material and bovine embryos.

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Representatives from several organizations made a case for the practice similar to that in the United States during recent testimony at the House of Commons agriculture committee.

“The current information gap is preventing our industry from realizing its full long-term potential,” said Canadian Pork Council chair Rene Roy.

He said the correlation between the Canadian price and the U.S. benchmark is a critical issue for the industry.

“Too often, the price paid to Canadian producers decouples — is not aligned — from the reference market without any clear way for producers to identify the structural causes,” he told the committee.

Roy said setting up price transparency in advance would protect Canadian producers in the event of a foreign animal disease challenge.

He also said this would allow Canadian producers to understand their own value chain.

“We are often told that Canada is globally competitive, but without verified data we are essentially navigating by guesswork,” he said.

Clear data makes the sector more attractive for investment and a new generation of farmers. He said a system similar to that of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in place for about 25 years, would include retailers.

Roy’s Quebec counterpart, Louis-Phillippe Roy said the committee’s study offers hope of obtaining fairer business relationships between producers and processors, as well as better trade relations.

“It will also correct certain price distortions, which happen too often between producers and processors,” he said.

WHY IT MATTERS: The Canadian and American pork and beef sectors are highly integrated but sometimes the American reference prices don’t accurately reflect the Canadian market. Price information in the U.S. is aggregated and shared by the USDA.

Louis-Phillippe Roy said American prices dropped between 2015 and 2019 due to a production surplus, and Quebec producers saw those same decreases, even though production was lower than the province’s slaughter capacity.

Stephen Heckbert, CPC president and chief executive officer, said Canadians should have sovereignty over the Canadian price.

“The fact that this system already exists in the United States and that we are entirely dependent on it means that if there is an outbreak of African swine fever in the United States, it would be worse than if it happened in Canada,” he said.

U.S. processors were initially reluctant to provide data, but it has become an important industry tool that uses cutout prices, said Rene Roy.

The Canadian pork sector has never had price reporting, but there is some history in the beef industry. It began in 2003 after BSE and ended in 2020.

“We have tried a number of ways to bring it back,” said Brenna Grant, executive director of Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattle Association.

“The greatest concern from the packers has been confidentiality, given the limited number of players in the market.”

Grant said she believes it could be done, noting that in the U.S., data is suppressed when a limited number of packers report. Or, she said, only certain cuts could be reported.

CCA executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft said he wasn’t sure if mandatory reporting would benefit beef producers because processing competition is much smaller than in pork.

Calvin Vaags operates True North Foods, a federally inspected plant in Manitoba that processes about 180 animals per week. He said price discovery begins in the U.S. market, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Having said that, when it does come and get converted to a Canadian price, there’s basis considerations with freight, regulation and many things there. Those things, perhaps, we could look at to get better transparency.”

Thomas Beretta from Alberta meat packer Beretta Farms said more transparent pricing would work, but data collection has to be done by an independent third party.

Vaags said the information supplied through the previous Canfax program arrived too late to be helpful. A new system would have to be more robust and timely.

Donald Boucher, director general at Agriculture Canada’s sector development and analysis branch, said the government supports industry-led efforts to improve price transparency.

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