Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Wednesday's Pork Meeting - Dire Situation

Here is a report on last night's meeting in Stratford - from AM920 CKNX in Wingham.


There were some dire predictions at a pork industry meeting in Stratford.

Over 500 stakeholders gathered last night to learn more about restructuring, debt mediation and transition strategy options for struggling pork producers.

Perth County Pork Producers Association President, Mike Bosch says he is skeptical of the recently announced Federal loan and the "Hog Farm Transition" programs.

He says he's not sure it's enough money to do anything.

Bosch says there are a lot of pork producers in trouble and he wouldn't be surprised if at least 50 per cent of them run out of money to operate by the end of the calendar year.

He adds the main goal of last night's "Canadian Pork Industry in Crisis - Are You Ready" event in Stratford was to give producers the information and tools they need to help determine their future.

Views: 88

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on September 10, 2009 at 1:27am
Given that there is only $75 million (+-) for restructuring, $17 million for research and marketing (which is okay for marketing), and unknown for loans - it will definitely be insufficient.
Farmgate sales for the pork sector in Huron- Perth region in 2006 was over $290 million - representing almost a quarter of the total farmgate sales of ALL the main commodities.
Huron, Perth, and Oxford Cty produce the bulk of pork in Ontario (on a per county basis), and the claim in the industry is $40 per market hog in losses - the three counties will lose in excess of $66 million in the second and third quarters of 2009. I realize the actual hog numbers are most likely lower today than in 2006, but the point is that the losses in this region is, and will be, substantial due to the infrastructure surrounding the pork sector - feed mills, trucking, parts and equipment suppliers, hog assembly yards...
So really - when you spread the $75 million and the $17 million across CANADA - how much of an impact will it really have?
May 16, 2006 census for Nursery & Market hogs on farm
Huron - 639,842; Perth - 598,260; Oxford - 424691

Wayne
Permalink Reply by pigsrgr8 on September 11, 2009 at 6:43am
I was not able to make the meeting the other night....not sure what the right path is for pork production in Ontario.
I wish the government could help but it is hard to count on that....markets need to correct but it is looking like that is going to take too long.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Spring Wheat Condition Improves; Winter Wheat Harvest 11% Done

The 2026 U.S. spring wheat crop improved over the past week but remained slightly below a year ago, while the winter wheat harvest moved ahead quickly and crop ratings remained historically poor. Monday’s USDA crop progress report rated the national spring wheat crop at 52% good to excellent as of Sunday, up 5 points from the previous week but still a single point below last year. In North Dakota, the largest spring wheat-producing state, the crop was rated 61% good to excellent, up 3 points from a week earlier. Minnesota improved to 86% good to excellent, up from 78% the previous week. South Dakota rose to 52%, compared with 44% the previous week, while Montana remained under heavy stress at just 10% good to excellent, although that was an improvement from only 1% a week earlier. Spring wheat development continued to advance. Planting was 98% complete, up from 94% a week earlier and ahead of the five-year average of 95%. Emergence reached 87%, up from 72% the previous week and

Manitoba Seeding Nears Completion Amid Stormy Conditions

Manitoba seeding is nearly wrapped up, even as severe storms brought intense rainfall, strong winds, and hail to parts of the province.  The weekly crop report on Tuesday showed seeding across the province at 93% complete, up from 71% a week earlier. That’s just modestly behind 99% last year and the five-year average of 95%, after earlier weather-related delays.  Precipitation was highly variable across Manitoba over the past week, with stormy weather between June 2 and 4. Environment Canada confirmed three tornadoes, including sightings in the Manitou and Carman areas. Heavy rainfall in parts of the Northwest later in the week triggered overland flood warnings, while portions of the Northwest, Interlake and Central regions have now received more than 60 mm of rain since May 1.  Despite the stormy weather, seeding of most major crops is nearly finished. Spring wheat seeding is mostly complete, although the Northwest is still only about 80% done. Corn planting is complete, while cano

Supervised autonomy solution aims to optimize field operations

EMILI is using Verge Ag’s Launch Pad software to automate route planning on Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert during the 2026 season. In May 2026, Innovation Farms Associate Sarah Wilcott worked with Verge Ag to generate tillage plans specific to the farm’s field boundaries, elevation, and equipment. The plan was then synced to a John Deere 590 tractor before tilling began. Verge Ag’s Launch Pad is a web-based precision agriculture platform that aims to unlock autonomy on a farmer’s existing equipment.  “The current version uses smart heuristics to estimate how ‘costly’ any maneuver in the field is, along with various meta-heuristic algorithms to optimize the route ordering,” said Verge Ag Product Manager AJ Nolin. Its core feature is Path Planner, which helps farmers plan out the most efficient route before any equipment enters a field. The made in Canada technology is designed to be accessible and cost effective. It uses standard GIS shapefiles, costs only $5 to plan seeding f

CANZA Marketplace available for farmers

The marketplace is open to Ontario farmers first with plans to expand across Canada

Supporting wood-waste innovation in the Kootenays

A Kootenay-based project is receiving provincial funding to convert forestry waste into a soil supplement, benefiting agriculture and forestry sectors, while supporting training and good-paying jobs in the region. “People in rural communities are finding innovative ways to create new opportunities for their families and neighbours while caring for the environment,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. “By turning wood waste into valuable new products, this project is creating jobs, supporting local businesses and helping build a stronger future for the community. Through our Look West strategy, we are investing in the people, ideas and industries that keep rural British Columbia thriving.” Through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), the Province is providing approximately $182,000 to Wildsight to support its Fire for Healthy Soils project in Creston. The funding supports a pilot project to convert wood waste into biochar, which is

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service