'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
Canada Could Add $5.4 Billion by Food Processing in the Country Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Canada could add as much as $5.4 billion to its economy and create roughly 34,000 full-time-equivalent jobs by shifting only 10 per cent of its raw crop exports towards domestic value-added processing, according to a new analysis by EY released by Protein Industries Canada. The... Read this article online
Local Food and Farming Drive Community Growth Tuesday, September 22, 2026 The 12th annual Farm and Food Awareness Week has already begun in Manitoba, held from September 20 to 25. The week provides an opportunity for people to learn more about where their food comes from and appreciate the efforts of farmers, producers, and food workers who help bring safe and... Read this article online
Equipment Technician Demand Reaches New Highs Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Canada's agriculture and construction equipment industry is facing a growing shortage of skilled technicians, according to a new report released by industry organizations the Canada Equipment Dealers Association (CEDF)and the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation (AEDF). The findings... Read this article online
B.C. ag minister won’t seek re-election Tuesday, September 22, 2026 British Columbia’s minister of agriculture won’t run in the next provincial election when the time comes. Lana Popham, the NDP MLA for Saanich South currently in her second tenure as the ag community’s voice in the provincial legislature, made the announcement on Sept. 21. “I am sad to... Read this article online
New herbicide for soybean producers Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Ontario soybean growers will have another tool available to them for the 2027 growing season. BASF launched Zidua Prime herbicide to support burndown and residual weed control applications. The product contains two active ingredients to provide farmers with maximum... Read this article online