Northwest International Ag Expo

It is Time to Pass to Farm Bill Now, Pork Producers Say

U.S. pork producers are just one of many agricultural groups impacted by worsening economic conditions. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) joined over 300 national and state groups to send a letter to congressional leaders on Sept. 9 urging them to pass the farm bill before year's end. Producers across the country have experienced headwinds as the farm bill delays continue, ranging from extreme weather to high input costs to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions. "With all the stress on farmers now, it's important that we get this moved now while we've got the opportunity," Duane Stateler, president-elect of NPPC, said in a media briefing on Monday. The farm bill is typically passed every five years and supports the nation’s farmers, ranchers and forest stewards through a variety of safety net, credit, conservation and other critical programs. The law was originally scheduled for reauthorization in 2023. Congress voted last November to extend the existing legisl

Canada requests proposal for foot and mouth disease vaccine bank

The government of Canada is continuing to advance its work of protecting animal health by establishing a foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank, according to a government-issued press release. The vaccine bank is a key part of Canada's response plans to control and ultimately eliminate an outbreak of FMD should it be detected in Canadian animals. A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued last Friday by Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), to supply vaccine products to the FMD vaccine bank. The successful bidder(s) would provide concentrated FMD vaccines that could be rapidly transformed into usable vaccines. Information about the RFP including requirements, criteria, processes and timelines is available to interested bidders on CanadaBuys. The vaccine bank will help protect Canada from the emerging threat of this disease, maintain public confidence in the Canadian food supply, and help reduce the spread of the disease, sho

Generational Ontario Hog Farm Embracing Technology

As one of the early adaptors of using technology in his hog operation, John Van Engelen has seen firsthand how innovation has played an important role in the modernization of the pork industry.

Pig Mobile Educates Big Crowds at CNE in Toronto

Ontario Pork’s Pig Mobile was once again a must-see attraction for exhibition goers at the 145th annual Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto. Hambassadors interacted with tens of thousands of attendees, with an estimated 1.4 million visitors attending the CNE. 

Pork Producers Advised to Guard Against Entry of High Path Avian Influenza in Swine Barns

Pork producers are being advised take steps to avoid the introduction of High Path Avian Influenza into the swine barn.Since the March multi-state detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Type A (H5N1) in U.S. dairy cows, pork sector stakeholders have been developing strategies to reduce the risk of the pathogen becoming infective to swine.