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


Now, a contraceptive for wild boars?

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

According to Popular Science magazine, Texas A&M University professor Duane Kraemer is working on a pig contraceptive that can be administered to wild boars out of a feeder that uses facial recognition software and cameras to differentiate the tusked feral creatures from other less undesirable species such as raccoons.

The vaccine, which causes a female's immune system to block sperm from her eggs, was approved three years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in the wild. The problem with its use has always been how to administer it. Trapping feral pigs – and Texas has about two million of them – is no easy or safe task and use of the vaccine hasn't exactly taken off.

It has taken the development of facial recognition software to make this a possibility for hogs. The vaccine was originally developed by the National Wildlife Research Center in Colorado for injecting white-tailed deer. A single shot renders four of five infertile. Deer are a concern because they run into traffic. Wild boars are estimated to rip up US$400 million worth of crops annually in Texas alone. BP

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Sask Wheat Boosts Ag Education in Classrooms

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Agriculture in the ClassroomSaskatchewan AITC SK and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development CommissionSaskWheat have announced a newthree-yearpartnership to improve agriculture education in schools across Saskatchewan. The goal of this partnership is to help students better understand farming,... Read this article online

Central Alberta Growers Watch for Seedpod Weevils

Monday, July 6, 2026

AlbertaCanolais advising canolagrowers in CentralAlbertatomonitorfields closely for cabbage seedpod weevils (CSPW) as populations continue to expand across the region. Recent observations have shown that the pest is becoming more common in areas where it has not traditionally been a... Read this article online

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