A pig for adoption Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Wiggles, the baby weaner pig found injured at the side of Highway 401 by a motorist and spirited to the offices of Toronto Humane Society, was big news last spring – at least until that office was caught up in a scandal after a newspaper investigation alleged that animals there weren't well cared for and the overseeing Ontario SPCA yanked the society's powers to investigate. Ian McConachie, spokes-person for the Humane Society, did not immediately return telephone calls about the current state of the piglet. A television news clip on the society's website shows the piglet, two weeks after she underwent extensive surgery for a badly broken back right leg, enjoying a scratch from a society worker. Meanwhile, Toronto isn't the only place with a soft spot for pigs. This spring the Peninsula Humane Society, near San Diego, Calif., was offering a 40-pound pig for adoption. Cost? $25. The female Hampshire, named Mercedes, had been found wandering and was dropped off after being driven to the shelter in a luxury automobile. The California shelter's website warned perspective owners that, like a dog, Mercedes could live to be 12 years old. Unlike a dog, she could grow to several hundred pounds in weight. Her ideal home, according to the animal adoption agency, would be a large enclosed yard with protection from the elements and regular access to mud for cooling. Isn't California the state that just banned some commercial methods of raising pigs for welfare reasons? Could Ontario be next? Hmmm . . . How do you say 'milk the cows' in Spanish? Red Fife returns to its Otonabee roots
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online