A long ride is less stressful Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Shorter truck trips are more stressful to market hogs than longer truck rides, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science.The reason? Pigs need time to recover from the stress of loading before they get stressed again when they disembark, says Prof. Michael Ellis, at the University of Illinois's Urbana-Champaign campus.Another stress factor is floor space. Overcrowding is stressful, but pigs that have too much space are thrown around as the livestock truck moves. University researchers found that U.S. market pigs on average require five square feet each.Co-author of the study with Ellis was Bradley Wolter, chief operating officer of the Maschhoffs packing company in Carlyle, Ill. Wolter says working with Ellis allowed the company to reduce pig losses due to transportation and handling by more than one percentage point in a system that was already well managed and where less than half a per cent of pigs died because of movement and handling. BP Another sign of bacon's popularity: clogged drains 'Welfarists' pressure supermarkets
CANXPORT Opens at Prince Rupert, Boosting Canadian Grain and Ag Exports Friday, August 28, 2026 Yesterdaymarked the grand opening of the CANXPORT facility at the Port of Prince Rupert, unveiling a significant new piece of trade infrastructure that is expected to benefit agricultural exporters across Western Canada. The facility, formerly known as the Ridley Island Export... Read this article online
The Alberta Federation of Agriculture warns producers could face higher expenses during harvest Friday, August 28, 2026 Canadian farmers are bracing for another round of financial pressure as escalating trade tensions between Canada and the United States begin to affect agricultural supply chains. The Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA) is warning that while Canada has every right to respond to... Read this article online
AFA Calls for National Agriculture Strategy as Weather and Trade Risks Grow Friday, August 28, 2026 While recent trade tensions are drawing national attention, agricultural leaders say another story deserves equal focus: the need for a long-term strategy that helps Canadian agriculture remain competitive in an increasingly uncertain world. The Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA)... Read this article online
Alberta Boosts Aid for Weather Hit Producers Friday, August 28, 2026 Farmers across Alberta are receiving additional support after extreme moisture created difficult growing conditions during the 2026 season. The Governments of Alberta and Canada have introduced changes to the AgriStability program to help producers manage financial risks caused by... Read this article online
CAAIN receives $50 million from Ottawa Thursday, August 27, 2026 The federal government is investing in Canadian agriculture through technological innovation. Ottawa is providing the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) with $50 million to support its work of funding innovative projects in ag, Industry Minister Mélanie... Read this article online