14 02, 2014

On The Edge With Siemens Says

From the Banff Pork Seminar to the Town Hall teleconference call by Manitoba Pork Council, to various other articles and protocols, I’m getting a little understanding of this dreaded disease, PED virus that kills baby pigs within days of birth.
The key factor here is keeping everyone on the same page, so to speak, to

14 02, 2014

Dealing With Disease Nothing New

Flipping through a few favoured agricultural websites it was interesting to see yet another disease is threatening the Canadian hog sector.
In this case its the possibility of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) crossing the border from the United States.
“PED was discovered in the U.S. nine months ago and has since killed three million pigs,” detailed

14 02, 2014

Alberta Pork Starts Series of Town Hall Meetings

Trucks will likely be the way porcine epidemic diarrhea virus will sneak across the border.
“Trucking is one of our biggest risks, especially from the U.S. where there is this disease,” said swine veterinarian Dr. Egan Brockhoff, during an Alberta Pork telephone conference call on PED Jan. 17.
“Enhanced biosecurity is the best way to prevent

14 02, 2014

Hog Day(s) Becomes One Day

Organizers of Hog Days in Brandon in December removed a day and it became Hog Day instead of Hog Days. While I wasn’t able to go, those people who for years have exhibited found coming out and setting up for just one day a little short. The costs are the same for a day

14 02, 2014

New Livestock Price Insurance Program Launched

Hog producers across Western Canada will have access to a price insurance program that has slowly gained popularity among Alberta producers.
The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is designed to offer cattle and hog producers’ protection against roller coaster prices by allowing them to lock in a floor price similar to crop insurance.
While there has

14 02, 2014

Staff and Company Resilience get Steve’s Livestock Transport Back on the Road

In the wee hours of January 11, a neighour to the Steve’s Livestock Transport facilities in Blumenort, MB called in a fire to the local fire department and they responded around 1:30 am to find a truck barn on fire.
“One of our truck barn’s was on fire that housed 39 of our trucks and

14 02, 2014

Biosecurity Protocol, Early Reporting, and We’re in it Together

What may well be the first of several or many Town Hall phone-in’s depending on PED virus infections in Manitoba saw over 200 people call in to mostly listen to excellent presenters and credible and informed people hosted by the Manitoba Pork Council on January 31.
Karl Kynoch, chair of Manitoba Pork, had invited all

14 02, 2014

BPS Ag Minister Ritz pops in

Every bit helps, Alberta Pork Chair Frank Novak said after learning that the federal government will provide more money to help Canadian producers market their pork – at home and abroad.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz paid a surprise visit to the Banff Pork Seminar on the morning of Jan. 23, stopping in long enough to

14 02, 2014

BPS A Sombre But Lively Boar Pit Session Ends the BPS

The Boar Pit session at the Banff Pork Seminar, scheduled pre-PED virus outbreak in Canada had the makings of a lively session. Then comes the news Canada has its first case of the dreaded disease, and organizers extended the allotted time despite flights out and the last thing on the agenda.
The PED’s first confirmed

14 02, 2014

BPS Sow Management

Farm managers continue to seek optimum performance from sows that are considerably more prolific than their predecessors. Banff Pork Seminar brought three speakers to conduct a seminar on helping those high-performance sows live up to their genetic potential.
Opening the session was Prof. Billy Flowers of North Carolina State University, Banff Pork’s 2014 George Foxcroft