Worldwide hog production shrinks and Smithfield rocks Sunday, February 6, 2011 Only last June, a troubled Smithfield Foods Inc., based in Virginia, was denying published reports from Brazil that it was going to sell its pork production to JBS, the Brazilian meat packing giant that had already purchased Smithfield's beef operations. What a difference a few months make for the self-described world's largest pork processor and hog producer. While worldwide hog production shrank two per cent, Smithfield reported record high earnings in the quarter ending Oct. 31.Smithfield made money on both pig raising and processing. Live hog market prices rose 54 per cent to $56 per hundredweight from $36. Cutout prices rose more. "Smithfield is performing at record levels and we are focused on continuing to deliver strong earnings in the second half of fiscal 2011. All indications are that fiscal 2011 will be a record year for the company," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer, in a December press release.Published reports indicate that Smithfield managed to pay down half of a US$1 billion debt in bonds that were due in 2011. The other half may not be as easy, since recently the U.S. government renewed an ethanol subsidy that keeps grain prices high. BP 'Pocket pigs' pose problems Commercial feed is the salmonella culprit
CUSMA Review Raises Concerns Over Potential U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Pork Thursday, December 11, 2025 As the first formal review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) approaches in July, pork producers across North America are bracing for potential impacts—especially the possibility of new U.S. tariffs on Canadian agriculture. Florian Possberg, Partner at Polar Pork Farms,... Read this article online
New restrictions placed on hunting, farming 'incredibly destructive' wild boars in Alberta Thursday, December 11, 2025 Wild boars have been declared "a pest in all circumstances" by the Alberta government effective Dec. 1, meaning new restrictions have been placed on keeping them in captivity and hunting them in the wild. It is now illegal to keep, buy, sell, obtain or transport wild boars in Alberta... Read this article online
Ontario Animal Health Network (OAHN) Swine Network Quarterly Industry Report Thursday, December 11, 2025 Starting in 2015, Senecavirus A (SVA) has caused intermittent complications with respect to the export of Canadian cull animals to the United States. This disease resembles reportable swine vesicular diseases. This is a national issue and since June 2025 has impacted Ontario cull sow... Read this article online
Ag in the House: Dec. 1 – 5 Thursday, December 11, 2025 While government and opposition MPs sparred over the carbon tax multiple times last week, a direct mention of agriculture first came on Dec. 4. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre highlighted findings in Dalhousie University’s food price report for 2026, which indicates food prices are... Read this article online
Smokin’ weeds Thursday, December 11, 2025 With American families facing high food prices and farmers burdened by rising operating costs, weed pressure has become an even more costly threat to US food production. Resistant weeds continue to spread, increasing spray complexity and forcing many farms to spend significantly more on... Read this article online