The Manitoba Pork Council is urging producers to buy into the program, despite the increased cost.

PigTRACE price to go up

Tag prices will go up 20 cents for small tags and 35 cents for large tags as of Aug. 1

Hog producers will have to pay more for traceability in the near future. Canada’s PigTRACE program will be raising ear tag prices as of Aug. 1. [Click here for the price list as of Aug. 1]  Prices will go up 20 cents for every small ear tag and 35 cents for every large ear tag,

The almost automatic, guaranteed political support farmers and ranchers once received from the public is quickly draining.

Opinion: Agriculture leaking support fast

When you’ve been in the ag journalism game for almost 40 years, few things surprise you. And, yet, on June 21, the Washington Post published a farm-based story that made even this greybeard marvel at how tone deaf and superior sounding rural politics has become. Even more startling was the reader reaction to that growing


Jesse Genaille of Swan River was among performers involved in the 2019 
Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend.

Will this be the last year for Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend?

Organizers hope new members will step forward to ensure the event’s future

After 13 years of providing down-home music in a valley setting, the future of Birtle’s Pasture Pickin’ weekend is uncertain. The current organizing committee will lose two key members this year, prompting the group of five to bow out in hopes that others will come forward to fill their shoes. “Although the present committee of

The federal Agriculture Department is touting new extreme weather tracking tools.

AAFC unveils extreme weather tracker

The online tool could be handy when planting and cropping decisions are at hand

Agriculture Canada has unveiled a new online weather watching tool that will enable farmers to better track extreme weather conditions during the agricultural growing season. Called ‘Extreme Weather Indices,’ the tool was developed in collaboration with Environment Canada’s weather service and should help farmers plan their planting and harvesting operations. Like weather forecasts, the indices


Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, addresses reporters outside of the Manitoba legislature on July 2.

KAP releases election wish list

With a fall election on the horizon the group is pushing ag up the agenda

Infrastructure, climate change and equitable education funding are Keystone Agricultural Producers’ top priorities in the upcoming provincial election, the organization announced July 2. “It is imperative that the next provincial government focuses on a real plan for our sector that ensures that we have a steady, reliable cost-effective food source for years to come,” KAP

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is generally fatal to younger piglets and causes severe dehydration,

PEDv redraws outbreak borders

The province has confirmed PEDv far from the Red River Valley region, where the outbreak had been largely confined

PEDv has been found far farther west than ever before. Jenelle Hamblin, manager of swine health programs with the Manitoba Pork Council, confirmed that an operation near Notre Dame de Lourdes has tested positive for PEDv. Why it matters: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is generally fatal to younger piglets and causes severe dehydration, and


tom steve

Farmers conflicted on falling number as grade factor

The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) have advocated for adding falling number (FN) as a grading factor in the past, but now both groups say they need more information to ensure farmers would be better off before endorsing the change. “The (Grain and Oilseeds) committee has expressed concern with the lack

Grain companies and farm groups are questioning whether moving to more specific measures of wheat quality provide enough benefit relative to the cost.

Grain-grading factors spur industry debate

Grain companies and farm groups question whether moving to more specific measures of wheat quality provide enough benefit relative to the cost

Western Canada’s major grain companies strongly oppose making falling number (FN) and DON official grading factors for wheat under the Canada Grain Act. And at least two farm groups — the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) — are wary of the idea and want more information before any change. “The WGEA


falling number test

Editorial: Interests aligned?

Canada’s major grain companies — through their industry voice the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) — have come out swinging against a discussion paper that puts analytical testing on the table (see Allan Dawson’s front-page story). The Canadian Grain Commission has been reviewing whether falling number and tests for the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) would serve

bbq pork

Meat sector braces after halt to China trade

Livestock producers and meat processors are still determining the impact as China turns off the tap on all Canadian meat


It’s hard to say how much damage has been done since China announced its sudden aversion to Canadian meat. “It’s a bit too soon to tell to get a real dollar figure on it, because it is a situation where, when we want to sell pork, we’re trying to maximize the value of that product,”