JBS fined for hog payments Sunday, April 3, 2011 In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined JBS USA LLC, the nation's largest packer, US$175,000 for underpaying hog suppliers by a total of about US$350,000 in 11 months in 2007, according to a press release from the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.According to a federal charge registered in October, JBS bought hogs at several plants in Worthington, Marshalltown and Louisville based upon lean per cent as measured with an instrument that sometimes failed to produce proper data. The company substituted an arbitrary (and low) 49 per cent yield on settlement bills without disclosing the measuring failure to the sellers. Sellers were also automatically discounted $1-$2 a hundredweight and missed out on premiums of up to $5.30 a hundredweight for those carcasses.According to the news release, $50,000 of the fine is being held in abeyance. BF It pays to read the manual Smart phone usage by farmers expected to jump
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
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The 2025 Early Career Research Award was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded... Read this article online