May 11, 2012
Today, feed costs make up the majority of a producer’s budget, so improving feed efficiency results in improved profit for producers. Poor health resulting in sick and dead pigs negatively impacts feed efficiency, as every producer knows. In a recent webinar, Dr. Steve Dritz of Kansas State University set out to clarify some of the underlying effects health has on feed efficiency. Some of the topics covered include the spreading of pathogens that disrupt growth, the impacts of mortality, how PRRS and PCV2 hurt feed efficiency, and how biosecurity and sanitation are very important to herd health……
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May 8, 2012
The past several weeks have seen a series of announcements by fast food companies and food retailers about animal welfare. Some firms are dictating what should happen on farm, others leaving the industry and experts to chart the way forward.
Canadian hog producers are taking an active role in animal welfare on their farms and collectively as an industry. A national Animal Care Assessment program sets out animal care requirements and an oversight system ensures the requirements are being met.
The current focus for the industry is the review of the existing Code of practice for pigs. A revised Code will update guidelines for pig care on housing, health, nutrition and other animal husbandry practices through a multi-stakeholder process.
“As producers, we are always working to ensure the best care for our animals” says Jean-Guy Vincent, President of the Canadian Pork Council. “Updating the Code makes the approach current.&n ...
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May 8, 2012
The WTO Appelate Body has completed its hearing on the United States appeal of
it loss of the WTO dispute panel on its Country of Origin Labeling regime (COOL) as it applies to
imported livestock, specifically Canadian hogs and beef cattle.
“The Canadian Pork Council and its members, together with the Government of Canada and the Canadian
Cattlemen’s Association, have been contesting mandatory COOL since its inclusion in the 2002
U.S. Farm Bill”, said Jean-Guy Vincent, CPC Chair, “and we are very pleased with how Canada’s
dispute with COOL has been argued at the WTO – first before the Panel and now in front of the
Appellate Body.”
“The Government of Canada team has very effectively argued that the
(COOL) law is a protectionist measure”, said Jurgen Preugschas, a pork producer from Mayerthorpe,
Alberta. “Despite claims by the United States that COOL was a response to requests from consumers,
the legislation ...
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May 7, 2012
The Agricultural Initiatives Program was created to encourage improvements in agriculture, the quality of life in agricultural communities and to facilitate rural development. Recently, the 2012-13 program budget of $1,450,000 was confirmed. Some applications held over from 2011-12 are already being reviewed, and the program welcomes new applications.
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“I am really happy to be involved with this program,” says Bill Gordon, Agricultural Initiatives Program manager with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “The feedback has been very positive and the objectives of the program are being met.”
Funds under this program are granted to agricultural societies incorporated under the Agricultural Societies Act (Alberta), and to other registered not-for-profit organizations with objectives related to agriculture and rural development.
Program funding will be granted to applications that meet eligibility criteria for programs/projects such as rural training, l ...
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May 2, 2012 --
On May 8th, 2012 Prairie Swine Centre in conjunction with the Farm Leadership Council will be hosting the 5th in a series of 8 webinars on feed efficiency. Dr. Steve Dritz will discuss the “Influence of Health on Feed Efficiency”
See below for more details.
FLC Webinar "Influence of Health on Feed Efficiency" is coming up soon, and there are some important details about your event:
In general, the concept of improved health leading to better feed efficiency is a concept that makes intuitive biologic sense. The improvements of feed efficiency due to chronic immune stimulation are primarily mediated through the composition of gain. Evidence indicates that in multi-site production systems chronic immune stimulation is reduced due to age segregation, leading to less pathogen transmission across age groups and via the environment from batch to batch. Unfortunately, multi-site production systems have not eliminated all pathogens. The ...
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(Ottawa, ON) April 27, 2012¬- Pork industry leaders participated today in a series of events across the country to promote the importance of trade to the Canadian pork industry and to highlight the benefits of an ambitious Canada-European Union free trade deal.
“We are extremely fortunate to have excellent animal health status, a good supply of high quality feed grains, a very low animal population density and a strong reputation all over the world as a supplier of safe high quality pork,” stated Canadian Pork Council Chair Jean-Guy Vincent. “Canada is a globally competitive and successful producer and exporter of pork and pork products. The key factor to sustaining our success is the ability to access a wide variety of markets.”
An ambitious Canada-European Union trade agreement would significantly enhance the sector’s export opportunities as well as benefit workers, businesses and families who rely on the pork sector for their livelihood. Pork is the ...
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April 25, 2012
On April 20, Alberta Pork received 4 nominations for the 4 available board positions, two in Region 1 and 2 Directors-at-Large. As a result, the following producers have been elected by acclamation:
Region 1: Andy Vanessen (returning Director)
Ard Bonthuis
Director-at-Large: Frank Novak (returning Director at Large)
Martin Bowman
Therefore, no elections will be held in June, but we will still hold producer information meetings i ...
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On April 24, 2012 Prairie Swine Centre in conjunction with the Farm Leadership Council will be hosting the 4rd in a series of 8 webinars on feed efficiency. Dr. Tom Scott will introducing the Canadian Feed Research Centre and its capabilities as well as discuss how feed processing technology can increase feed value and make it more consistent.
Register at: http://wflc.adobeconnect.com/e1hkamxz6ar/event/event_info.html
When: April 24, 2012
Time: SK 1:30-3:00 PM, AB 1:30-3:00 PM, MB 2:30-4:00 PM, ON 3:30-5:00 PM
The series is now FREE of Charge thanks to our webinar partner Farm Leadership Council.
See below for more details.
Katrina Carr, B.Sc.
Prairie Swine Centre
(306) 373-9922 Ext. 221
www.prairieswine.com
FLC Webinar "New Processing Technologies That May Influence Feed Efficiency"] is coming up soon, and there are some important details about your event:
Feed processing can account for 1 to 5% of the total feed co ...
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April 18, 2012
What do prevention, protection and peace-of-mind have in common? They’re all benefits of joining the Biosecurity Training Program with Alberta Pork.
Thanks to the Canadian Swine Health Board for funding the program. With their support, 288 sites in Alberta have now completed these valuable workshops, but there is still room for 20 more to attend the training. If you have not already done so, now is the time to register for the final scheduled biosecurity session:
April 25 from 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm at the Black Knight Inn – Red Deer.
There is also the possibility of a final session in Lethbridge on April 26, but only if we receive 10 registrations by April 20.
To register or for more information, please call Audrey Cameron at 780-469-8982.
A big thank-you to all of the producers who visited Audrey at the Alberta Pork booth during Pork Congress. 130 producers who had registered for the ACA picked up some great swine handling equipment, while 125 prod ...
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SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwire - April 12, 2012)
- Young and beginning farmers will find it easier to start and grow their farm businesses with the help of a new $500 million loan program. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Farm Credit Canada (FCC) President and CEO Greg Stewart introduced the Young Farmer Loan today.
"Agriculture is a key driver of jobs and economic growth here in Canada, and young farmers are vital to the long-term prosperity of the agriculture industry," said Minister Ritz. "Encouraging young farmers to invest wisely and contribute to a prosperous, modern sector is not only good for agriculture but good for Canada."
This new loan offers qualified producers who are under 40 years of age loans of up to $500,000 to purchase or improve farmland and buildings. Producers between the ages of 18 and 39 make up approximately 16 per cent of Canadian producers, according to the 2006 Census. The FCC Young Farmer Loan includes features and options that addres ...
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