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
Stephen Heckbert Takes FVGC Leadership Tuesday, September 8, 2026 The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC)hasnamedStephen Heckbertas its new Executive Director. He officially assumed the role on September 8 andbringsmore than 25 years of leadership experience in communications, advocacy, and organizational management. Heckbert is well known... Read this article online
Canada’s Retaliatory Trade Tariffs: Will They Impact Canadian Hog Producers? Tuesday, September 8, 2026 With the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products coming into effect on September 8, 2026; industry anticipates building costs and feed ingredients will be impacted. Please note, as official analysis is not yet ready, the following information is an AI generated list and should be considered... Read this article online
Canada-U.S. Trade Dispute Raises Concerns for Agri-Businesses Tuesday, September 8, 2026 Like many of their small business counterparts, Canadian agri-businesses operating across the border are warning that prolonged trade tensions could threaten their financial stability, according to a by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) that was released last... Read this article online
Responsible Data Centre Development Principles Leaves Questions About Farmland Protection Tuesday, September 8, 2026 As Canada races to build the digital infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing, last week the federal government released a new set of principles intended to guide future data centre development. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada... Read this article online
Black Sea Peace Prospects Influence Global Grain Prices Monday, September 7, 2026 Grain and oilseed markets remained closely tied to geopolitical developments, weather conditions and export expectations during the week ending September 4, 2026. Corn futures were largely unchanged, while soybeans posted a new contract closing high and soybean meal also strengthened.... Read this article online