Women in Grains Farming and Business Workshop

Pigs on the prairie: Manitoba’s fight against a growing wild hog invasion

They root through farmland, tear up native landscapes, spread disease, and multiply rapidly. Wild pigs are fast becoming one of Manitoba’s most destructive and difficult invasive species — and experts say the time to act is now. Dr. Wayne Lees, coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, recently shared his expertise on the Real Ag Radio podcast, warning that wild pigs pose serious threats across environmental, agricultural, and public health sectors. “Wild pigs are what we define as any pig outside of a fence or outside of human control,” Lees explained. “That includes escaped domestic pigs and pot-bellied pigs that have escaped and are living on the landscape. But the most serious issue is with what we call Eurasian wild boar — very hairy, lean pigs with long snouts. These are the ones that have survived in the wild and continue to multiply.” These animals have proven highly adaptable to Manitoba’s cold winters and can devastate the environment. “They’ll disrupt nesting birds, eat sma

Olymel announces $142-million expansion of Trois-Rivières plant

In a recent press release, Olymel announced a $142-million expansion of its La Fernandière pork and poultry processing plant in Trois-Rivières, Quebec in Canada. Construction is set to begin immediately, with operations scheduled to start in spring 2026. The project will expand the facility’s current sausage production to include a broader range of pork and poultry products. The plant will be converted into an integrated site where products can be fully processed and packaged on location. According to the company, this change is expected to reduce raw material transport, improve process alignment and increase production capacity. The new facility will include equipment optimised with artificial intelligence to manage operations. Planned technologies include an industrial battery system, continuous cooking line, autonomous slicing, packaging, boxing and palletising operations, as well as driverless vehicles. These technologies are expected to improve consistency and allow for greater

Pork exports to China: US progress, Canada sits in stalemate

China is a huge market for both US and Canadian pork, but bilateral trade relations between these countries have not been smooth of late. However, as of 17 June, the Chinese government renewed registrations for export from 23 US pork plants. That follows a period where almost two-thirds of the registrations for all US meat plants has expired under a trade agreement from 5 years ago known as “2020 Phase 1.” There are unconfirmed reports that these new registrations will remain in effect until 2030. This also follows a period where Chinese had placed 10% retaliatory tariffs on pork (and also beef and dairy) and had cancelled huge US pork orders in response to US tariffs on Chinese imports. After Brazil, the US exports more pork to China than any other country. oGod news for US South American pork producers There may be more good news for US (and South American) pork producers, in that China may restrict pork imports from the European Union “in response to escalating trade tensions,”

Ag in the House: June 16 – 20

The government continues to work on having tariffs removed, the ag minister said

Conflict and Weather Drive Grain Markets

Grain markets surged due to increased geopolitical tensions and global weather concerns. Wheat, soybeans, and canola gained while traders watched policy and weather impacts closely.