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
Award-Winning TerraTrap GS Provides Safe Pest Control Friday, March 27, 2026 The TerraTrap GS is a humane, non-toxic, multi-kill ground squirrel control system developed by experienced pest-control professionals in California. Designed specifically to manage both California Ground Squirrels and Richardson Ground Squirrels, the system has demonstrated... Read this article online
Fighting DON Mycotoxin Contamination and Tar Spot Friday, March 27, 2026 Ontario corn growers are set to receive improved support in managing two major threats to their crops: DON mycotoxin contamination and tar spot. A new five-year project will continue annual assessments of DON across corn hybrids through theGrain Farmers of Ontario’sOntario Corn Committee... Read this article online
Lynch siblings named OYF winners for Saskatchewan Friday, March 27, 2026 Jordan Lynch and Chansi Bourkehave been named the regional winners of Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers competition. The announcement was made during Canada’s Farm Show on March 19, 2026. The siblings will nowrepresentSaskatchewan at the national competition in Vancouver, British... Read this article online
Serious concern with planned cuts to N.B. public vet services Friday, March 27, 2026 Livestock farmers in New Brunswick are concerned about the future of public vet services in the province. Liberal Premier Susan Holt’s government is phasing out provincially run veterinary lab services for private alternatives over the coming years, her 2026-2027 budget... Read this article online
CSBP pushing for domestic production policy Thursday, March 26, 2026 The Canadian Sugar Beet Producers (CSBP) wants to see more of its namesake crop grown and processed in Canada. At one point, sugar beets accounted for more than 20 per cent of the Canadian sugar market share. But that’s no longer the case, says Gwen Young, an Alberta sugar beet farmer... Read this article online