Another Pork Importer Considers COOL

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. In 2017 Australian producers are due to phase out sow stalls for all but a maximum of six weeks of gestation. This change has been accepted

Industry Fails To Deliver Traceability Promise – for Sep. 23, 2010

Years ago, I was invited to a conference designed to look at long-term strategies for Canada’s ag sector. Representatives were there from most major farm groups, as well as stakeholders in the agribusiness and processing sectors. One break-out session in particular that stuck in my mind was on the meat sector. I listened rather intently


Coccidiosis Treatment For Hogs – for Sep. 23, 2010

Adrug billed as the first federally-approved treatment for coccidiosis in hog herds in Canada is “on track” for release later this fall, Bayer Healthcare says in a release. The company’s animal health division says its toltrazuril product Baycox 5% now has a notice of compliance from Health Canada and will be available to veterinarians, and

Managing Variation To Enhance Profits – for Sep. 23, 2010

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. After three years of severe losses, a much smaller Canadian pork industry has been enjoying moderate profits for most of 2010. However, the key word is


An Apple A Day – for Sep. 9, 2010

Suddenly apples are everywhere. If you’re fortunate to have a few Prairie-hardy apple varieties grown to gnarly maturity around your homes, you’ll be enjoying the many different flavours and textures of homegrown apples right now. Eating Manitoba-grown apples is a pleasure we owe to the apple-breeding efforts of the Morden Research Station, where most of



WTO COOL Panel Finally Underway – for Sep. 9, 2010

Eight years after first appearing in legislation and over a year after becoming law, the U. S. country-of- origin labelling (COOL) rule will undergo a legal challenge at the World Trade Organization. A WTO panel this month in Geneva will hear arguments from Canada and Mexico that COOL violates international trade rules. Hearings are scheduled

Bringing A Bit Of Home For British Pork Lovers – for Sep. 9, 2010

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator. When Alan and Nicola Irving set up their new business producing fresh British-style sausages and bacon, they knew they would be popular with ex-pat Brits like


Letters – for Sep. 2, 2010

Improving animal welfare a worthy priority Ron Glaser of the Beef Information Centre, is correct when he says in the Aug. 26Manitoba Co-operatorthat the consumer hasn’t abandoned animal products in general. I am not sure who participated in his survey but I gotta tell you that for health reasons my household has definitely reduced its

Variable-Rate Hog Manure Still Needs Work – for Sep. 2, 2010

Precision agr icul ture isn’t ready for natural fertilizer. That’s the finding of a recently completed study by Nivervillebased Agra-Gold Consulting researcher Scott Dick, who along with Farmer’s Edge Precision Consulting, tested whether the cutting-edge technology could work with a drag-hose application system to apply hog manure. In the MRAC and Manitoba Pork Council-funded study