Producers Must Lead Changes In Animal Welfare

Taking good care of animals is a top priority for most livestock producers, one they grew up with and practise daily. But somewhere along the line that message has gotten lost, says Dr. Allan Preston. Today it is consumers, animal activists and the corporate world who have taken over the driver’s seat. “That shouldn’t happen,”

Manitoba Pork Council Undergoes Major Restructuring

Seismic changes reverberating through the Manitoba pork industry have forced the province’s hog producer membership association into its biggest corporate restructuring in years. The Manitoba Pork Council is cutting local districts, slashing the number of delegates and adopting a grassroots approach for electing them. A massive loss of hog farmers and a desire for more


Pork Producers Get A Chance At PRRS-Free Certification

Prairie hog farmers may soon be able to certify their animals free of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease which can cause big losses in swine herds. A two-year pilot project beginning this spring contains a protocol for testing swine herds and certifying them as PRRS free. The industry program, if successful, could

Hog Industry Announces New Sustainability Commitments

Major and possibly expensive changes lie ahead for Manitoba hog producers as the result of a new road map for the industry’s future. The Manitoba Pork Council plan released last week commits the province’s 700 pork producers to eliminating sow gestation stalls within the next 15 years. “Manitoba Pork commits to encouraging producers to phase


Deadline Extended

The deadline for the Canada-Manitoba Feed and Transportation Assistance Program (CM-FATAP) has been extended to March 31. The program helps livestock producers whose feed supplies were reduced due to excessive moisture last year with transportation costs to bring feed to their livestock or take the livestock to the feed. The program also provided money to

Small Hog Producers Get Manure Storage Break

Manitoba hog producers have received over $26 million to help small operators convert to large manure storages in advance of a 2013 ban on winter spreading. The money from Ottawa and the province will cover 75 per cent of a producer’s construction costs to a maximum $250,000. Ottawa funds 60 per cent of the three-year


Manitoba Second-Largest Recipient Of Hog Exit Money

Afederal program to help financially stressed hog farmers leave the industry saw 74 Manitoba producers receive $15.6 million to close their barns and sell their herds. The program reduced the number of pigs in Manitoba by 136,381, including 36,748 sows, 45,073 weanlings and 54,734 market hogs, according to the Canadian Pork Council. Manitoba was the

No Easy Recovery Options For Hog Producers

If you’re a hog farmer in a financial mess, there are three ways to get out of it – earn, refinance or sell out. Unfortunately, not one of them is easy, financial consultant Andrew DeRuyck told the recent Manitoba Swine Seminar in Winnipeg. Most producers would prefer to earn their way out if possible. It


Barn Fires A Continued Problem In Manitoba

There were 37 barn fires in Manitoba last year resulting in more than 7,600 animal deaths and $26.7 million in damages, statistics released by the provincial Fire Commissioner’s Office show. No human lives were lost. However, animals lost their lives in 15 of the 37 barn fires, including 6,600 hogs and 900 dairy cows. The

In Brief… – for Dec. 23, 2010

Strikes doused:Collective bargaining disputes involving unionized part-time rural firefighters would be settled by binding arbitration and no work stoppages would be permitted under proposed legislation introduced this month by Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard. “This legislation will ensure that all unionized firefighters are treated the same and that work stoppages don’t affect public safety