Acorn-eating pigs save ponies Thursday, December 5, 2013 After a wet spring and a dry summer, there's a bumper crop of acorns in the Hampshire woodland on the southern coast of England. That's bad news for the region's famous New Forest ponies. In a Daily Mail article, top forest official Jonathan Gerelli said: 'The problem is that our ponies like the acorns but the acorns don't like them. If they eat them, they tend to start to bleed internally and die a horrible death."But the acorns aren't poisonous to pigs, so every year in about mid-September local farmers let their pigs loose in the forest to save the ponies from themselves by eating the fallen acorns first. This practice is known as "pannage," and has been going on in the region since the 19th century, when some 6,000 pigs would forage. These days, the number is usually around 200, though the unusually high amount of acorns called for double the pigs this year. After about 60 days in the 70,000-acre forest, the pigs are rounded up and returned to their farms. As a side benefit, pannage fattens up the pigs for Christmas. BP Eating bacon may extend your life Gestation crates (almost) banned in New Jersey
Quebec Coroner Calls for Slurry Pit Safety Monday, September 8, 2025 A Quebec coroner is urging the province’s professional farmers association to increase awareness about the dangers of slurry pits, following a tragic incident that claimed the lives of two farmers in 2024. According to the Canadian Press based on a report by Coroner Nancy Bouchard, a... Read this article online
Canadian Pork Council Welcomes New Farm Support Monday, September 8, 2025 The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) has welcomed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of new support for agriculture producers facing increasing trade uncertainty. The decision recognizes the challenges that sectors like pork, canola, and seafood face when caught in global tariff... Read this article online
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Canola sector unimpressed with federal support announcement Monday, September 8, 2025 Canada’s canola industry is displeased with the federal government’s recent announcements to support the sector. Prime Minister Carney announced $370 million in funding last week to introduce a new biofuel production incentive to support canola growers as they feel the effects of China’s... Read this article online
Two-pass Weed Control Critical in Managing Herbicide-Resistant Waterhemp in Ontario Monday, September 8, 2025 Dr. Peter Sikkema of the University of Guelph recently shared insights into the growing challenge of multiple herbicide-resistant water hemp at the 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour final event in Woodstock Ontario. Dr. Sikkema research highlights both the biology of the weed and practical... Read this article online