Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Behind the Lines - August 2014

Monday, August 4, 2014

Even though the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in March that scientific testing "cannot confirm a link between feed containing blood plasma and porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) cases in Canada," farmers and veterinarians alike remain concerned about the role that blood plasma products play. That is in spite of pressure from plasma makers to put their otherwise beneficial products back into feeds. Senior staff editor Don Stoneman writes about the differing viewpoints in his cover story beginning on page 6.

As David Alves, the Ontario agriculture ministry's manager of veterinary science and policy, noted at the Ontario Pork Congress, "the bigger picture is that (PED) is not ravaging the Ontario industry the way it is in the United States." There, as the Wall Street Journal notes, some large pork-producing systems continue to use plasma products. And Alves gave high marks to feed provider Grand Valley Fortifiers for voluntarily withdrawing those feeds.

Maintaining health is key to pig production and viruses aren't the only threats. Our herd health writer, Ernest Sanford, describes the increase in cases of M. hyosynoviae arthritis, a bacterial infection, in herds, and notes that treatment is difficult.

The other mainstay, of course, is feed. Swine nutritionist Janice Murphy outlines the benefits of fine-tuning dietary fibre in the last weeks before marketing hogs. And in the same vein, Eye On Europe writer Norman Dunn describes a British-designed feeding system that promises "a level of fine-tuning in hog feeding never achieved before." Eye On Europe starts on page 32. BP

ROBERT IRWIN

Current Issue

April 2025

Better Pork Magazine

Farms.com Swine News

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

Canadians elect Liberal government

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Canadians made their voices heard on April 28 and elected a Liberal government. Prime minister-designate Mark Carney’s party won 168 seats as of Tuesday morning,Elections Canada says. A party needs 172 seats to earn a majority government. The Liberals could hit that threshmark... 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

Markets calm as trade war tensions ease with China

Monday, April 28, 2025

This week, global markets have shown signs of calming down as trade tensions between the US and China appear to ease. The US dollar strengthened, while gold prices fell, signaling potential weakening in the gold rally. These topics and many more were discussed in the Ag Commodity Corner+... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top