Taiwan's beef about Ractopamine in pork Monday, December 3, 2012 Taiwan agreed in July to set a maximum residue limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) of growth promoter Ractopamine in imported beef cuts from the United States, and imports began in September. The limit for the same drug in pork is zero. What gives?Economic policy analyst Ross Korves, in a recent column published in the Truth About Trade and Technology, wrote that "most of Taiwan's pork consumption comes from domestic production, but only a small amount of beef is produced locally. "Use of Ractopamine, first approved for sale by Eli Lilly in the United States 10 years ago, remains controversial. In July, the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome set a 10 ppb limit following a very close (69-67) vote. (The limit in the United States is 30 ppm.) The Codex was created by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization in 1963 to set food standards and codes of practice that contribute to the safety of food trade, according to Korves.Taiwan is Canada's tenth largest export market, with sales worth $54.25 million in 2010, up 211 per cent from 2007, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The United States sold about the same amount of pork there in 2010. BP What consumers like and don't like Biggest American producers add more sows in 2012
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Expert Gopher Help for Farmers Friday, June 27, 2025 With gopher populations increasing across Saskatchewan, many landowners are struggling with crop loss and land damage. These rodents not only reduce crop yields but also create dangerous conditions for livestock. In response, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF), supported by the... Read this article online
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
Pigs on the prairie: Manitoba’s fight against a growing wild hog invasion Thursday, June 26, 2025 They root through farmland, tear up native landscapes, spread disease, and multiply rapidly. Wild pigs are fast becoming one of Manitoba’s most destructive and difficult invasive species — and experts say the time to act is now. Dr. Wayne Lees, coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba,... Read this article online