Shutting down a hog barn is not as simple as turning off the lights, closing the door and walking away. They require special care if you want to use them again, says engineer Robert Chambers of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Start with any manure still in storage under the pens.
Avoid Gas Buildup In Mothballed Barns
East-West Biosecurity Divide
The federal government seems to be on the verge of announcing money to run an around-the-clock biosecurity centre at West Hawk Lake near the Manitoba-Ontario border. West Hawk has been chosen as the dividing point between Western and Eastern Canada should there be an outbreak of a foreign animal disease. Canadians hope to convince trading
Recession Hurts Think-Tanks Too
The George Morris Centre had a rough financial year, mainly because its investment portfolio sank with the recession to a low of $2.2 million. But treasurer Bob Hunsberger reported that it’s on the mend, that revenues and expenses in the balanced budget for the current fiscal year were on target during the first quarter and
Quebec Moves Towards Supply Management
Quebec producers will be assigned to a specific packer and could eventually face production controls under a new operating system announced by the provincial agency supervising marketing boards. Pricing which will be determined using a formula based on U. S. markets; covers all pigs sold to Olymel, duBreton, Hebert, Dubreuil, Lucyporc, ATrachan, ASTA and Agromex.
Effort To Save Feed Costs Worthwhile
It’s hard work, but most hog farmers could save $2 to $3 per hog on feed costs, Greg Simpson, provincial pork industry nutritionist, told the annual meeting of Ontario Swine Improvement Inc. here recently. Simpson said it requires trials that involve weighing pigs and feed, but experience with producers demonstrates that the savings can be
Gender Sexing Coming To Hog Barns
Gender sexing will soon be commercially available through semen processing, Phil Burke of Minitube Canada told the annual meeting of Ontario Swine Improvement Inc. here recently. He said his company has achieved good results with an additive, then processing. That approach has shifted the gender balance from 51 per cent females, 49 per cent males
Market For IP Soybeans Grows Stronger
The market for identity-preserved (IP) edible soybeans is strong and getting stronger, farmers learned during an information meeting organized by Huron Commodities Inc. recently. Eiichiro Nishida, assistant manager for buyer Kanematsu Corporation of Japan said Ontario’s producers are emerging as preferred suppliers, certainly over China. The U. S. is losing out because two big companies,
Core Buyers Are Loyal To Their Preferred Meats
Martin Gooch of the George Morris Centre has posted detailed reports on consumer surveys for chicken, lamb, veal and pork. It’s the most complete set of data available and was collected with funding from the federal Agriculture Department’s National Advancing Canadian Agricultural and Agri-Food Program. For chicken, the research found that the average Canadian household
Project Soy Creates New Products
Soybeans could begin cutting into the maple syrup market sometime soon. Anita Chung and Evelyn Yeh, winners of this year’s Project Soy competition among students at the University of Guelph, have developed a maple syrup knockoff product from a blend of soybean protein and fibre. Peter Hannam, who started the competition in 1996 when he
Consumers’ Recession Shopping Habits
Chicken producers are in a strong position to ride out the recession, Ton Marino, a vice-president and regional manager for The Neilson Company told the annual meeting of the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission here recently. Despite retail price increases, he said chicken ($6.87 per kilogram) remains less expensive than pork ($7.11 per
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