Livestock monitoring station gains another three years Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by KRISTIAN PARTINGTONA major element in the strategy to prevent the spread of animal disease outbreaks in Canada will continue for at least another three years in the boreal forest near the Ontario/Manitoba border. The West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative is a livestock monitoring point at West Hawk Lake, on the border of Manitoba and Ontario. The location is a “choke point” of rail and highway corridors between Eastern and Western Canada, and a monitor station there can track, trace or even limit shipments between the two parts of the country, allowing producers in one section to continue their business if a disease outbreak affects the other.The program operated as a pilot for two years until its funding, $3.5 million from the federal government and Canada’s livestock industry, ran out in 2009. The possibility of a permanent program appeared to be in jeopardy until the federal government announced in 2010 that it would spend nearly $2 million to keep it running.“I’d say we’re up 24-7 now,” said Curtiss Littlejohn, a director with Ontario Pork and the Canadian Pork Council who helped develop the initiative.Along with the federal funding, “there was some work done to readjust the funding formula from industries,” he added. All told, the funding should be enough to keep the initiative running as envisioned for upwards of three years. Now the challenge will be assessing the overall practicality of the program. “The value of the project can only be determined once there is an actual outbreak,” Littlejohn pointed out. “All we have to do is look at what's going on in South Korea with almost a third of the sow herd being culled for foot and mouth and you begin to understand the importance of what zoning can do.” Should an outbreak happen, Littlejohn said he is confident the ability of the Canadian livestock industry to isolate half of the country will help allay fears in other markets about the safety of Canadian livestock and related products. “Any time that we look at doing anything that improves the ability of the national herd here (to isolate outbreaks) or to decrease potential effects on the U.S. herd, those things are always viewed positively,” he said. BF Group wants resolution on agricultural business risk management Future remains uncertain for Ontario's sugar beet crop
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online
2025 Election Results Prompt Concern and Reflection Among Prairie Farmers Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Users on Agriville.com weigh-in on the 2025 federal election outcome As news broke on April 28 that Mark Carney’s Liberals had won the 2025 federal election, many western Canadian farmers on Agriville.com shared their reactions. The mood was largely one of disappointment, with... Read this article online
Support IPM With a Bench Sponsorship Tuesday, April 29, 2025 The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) Local Committee has launched the Bench Sponsorship Project for the upcoming 2025 event in West Niagara. This initiative invites individuals and businesses to sponsor commemorative benches for $500 each, helping enhance the visitor... Read this article online
New board members for Ontario Pork Friday, April 25, 2025 Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online
A Chicken’s Dream: The Perfect Home for Our Feathery Friends! Friday, April 25, 2025 BY: Zahra Sadiq Do you raise chickens on your farm for personal, friends and family use? Don’t you think your feathery friends deserve to live in style? If so, look no further, Roost & Root have plenty of chicken coop models to choose from that you and your chickens will... Read this article online