'Pocket pigs' pose problems Sunday, February 6, 2011 "Pocket pigs" got a big boost last year in Britain when celebrity guests, including soccer star David Beckham and his glamorous wife Victoria, went home from the Golden Globe movie awards with miniature pot-bellied pigs in their goodie bags. The pigs, which cost £3,000 to buy, were compliments of the owner of Patty's Royal Dandie Miniature Pet Pig. It was a good publicity stunt. By early December British authorities were warning of dangers involved in buying these pigs as pets for children. The pigs can carry and pass on the skin condition erysipeloid and the bacterium Streptococcus suis, which can lead to illness, including meningitis and deafness in humans. The micro pigs have been bred down to size, only 28 grams at birth. They still weigh as much as 29 kilograms and 35 centimetres in height when fully grown. They can live to be 18 years old. BP Manitoba producers sink under an increasing burden of regulation Worldwide hog production shrinks and Smithfield rocks
Strychnine training available now Wednesday, May 6, 2026 The mandatory training course for Prairie individuals planning to apply or distribute strychnine to control Richardson’s ground squirrels (gophers), is available now. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is offering the course until Aug. 1 to people in Saskatchewan... Read this article online
How to Keep Your Groundwater Safe and Clean Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Groundwater plays a vital role for families and businesses in rural and agricultural settings. It supports essential activities such as livestock care, irrigation, and cleaning processes, and in many areas, it's the sole source of drinking water. For this reason, it's critical for rural... Read this article online
Rising Waters on the Canadian Prairies and Beyond Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Spring flooding is intensifying across large portions of Canada, placing farms under growing pressure during one of the most important windows of the agricultural year. From the Prairies to Central Canada and into Atlantic regions, saturated soils, elevated rivers, and damaged rural... Read this article online
Operating farm equipment in the Canadian territories Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Farms.com’s final look at insurance and licensing requirements for ag equipment takes readers up to the Canadian north with the three territories. Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Is a license... Read this article online
Monette Farms Granted Court Extension as $90M Financing Secured Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Monette Farms has been granted additional time under court protection as one of North America’s largest private farming operations works to stabilize itself during the heart of the 2026 planting season. On May 1, 2026, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta approved an amended order... Read this article online