The porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus has hit producers hardest south of the border, but it was the first Canadian case that helped researchers find the source of the disease. Speaking to pork producers in Niverville, Tim Snider of the University of Minnesota said that the emergence of the disease in Canada provided the biggest
Canadian case of PED virus provided link for researchers
Biosecurity measures are still key, but preventing the contamination of feed will help slow the spread of PED
GMO food misinformation a problem: Folta
Food science can help farmers and food processors meet demands of specific demographics
Does science belong on your plate? Kevin Folta and Nancy Ames think so, as did their sold-out audience at a Canola Connect event last week at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals. “Humans have been engineering plants for a long time, we have abilities to do some really good stuff — grow more
Canola Council joins coalition for bee health road map
A diverse group of corporate entities join together with beekeepers as the Honey Bee Health Coalition
The Canola Council of Canada has joined the Honey Bee Health Coalition, a North American coalition of more than 30 organizations, in the hopes of improving pollinator numbers. “We’re really dependent on pollinators to have seed stocks for this 20-million-acre industry, so obviously we want that relationship to continue,” said Gregory Sekulic, who represents the
Cigi gets funding, still searching for new location
Cigi gets support for market development
The Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) has received five years of funding for its core programs, but is still looking for cash to cover a planned relocation. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced an investment of $15 million Oct. 27, which will support market development efforts and sales of Canadian field crops in global markets through customer education
False positive means one less confirmed case of PEDv in province
A fifth hog barn once thought to contain the virus that causes PED has been cleared after an extensive investigation and further testing
A fifth farm in Manitoba has not been infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) after all. The province had issued a bulletin Oct. 1 indicating a nursery finisher barn had tested positive for the virus, but subsequent tests found no trace of porcine epidemic diarrhea at the farm. “Really what it comes down to is
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba opens quota exchange
Dairy producers in Manitoba will soon be able to exchange unused production credits provided they meet certain criteria
Manitoba milk producers will soon have a public exchange for unused quota credits. “We’ve never done this in Manitoba, but the other provinces have always had those tools for their producers, so we’re trying to harmonize,” Henry Holtmann, vice-chairman of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, told a meeting here last week. Currently, producers need to actually
Consumers top of mind in new dairy program
Four years' worth of funding has been provided to Dairy Farmers of Manitoba to hire and train staff for ProAction program
It’s an initiative that will bring together on-farm food safety, sustainability, milk quality, biosecurity and more. ProAction — a nationwide accreditation program for dairy producers — aims to consolidate a wide variety of best management practices together under one umbrella, something industry representatives believe will streamline auditing and inspection processes for farmers. “We’re trying to
Poor weather impacts wild rice operations
Wild rice has been harvested in northern Manitoba for thousands of years, but modern demands may outstrip supplies as the grain increases in popularity
Call it too much of a good thing. Wild rice needs plenty of water to grow, but heavy rains and high water coupled with cool temperatures has hit producers hard this season, particularly in northwestern Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan. “There’s this little pocket that covers the majority of Canadian production and they had a terrible
Significant animal welfare issues found at Austin hog barn
It was more than two years ago that provincial officials had to shoot 1,300 hogs near Austin
No charges will be laid following a two-year investigation into circumstances leading to the mass euthanization of hogs at a barn near Austin in September 2012. A spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Veterinarian said the case was handed over to Manitoba Justice last summer after a significant investigation, which included interviewing multiple witnesses.
High mortality in latest PEDv outbreak
Lapses in biosecurity are proving costly
Porcine epidemic diarrhea has spread to a fifth Manitoba hog barn with devastating effects. “They’re seeing high mortality rates, in the order of 70 to 80 per cent in some cases,” said Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council. “In the feeders barns, they’ve noticed it because it’s hurt production a bit… whereas
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