Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law Monday, August 5, 2013 In June's Better Pork, we reported that lawmakers voted to make Tennessee the latest state to approve a so-called "ag-gag" law, a bill to make it illegal to record animal cruelty incidents on livestock farms without reporting them to the police right away.Just after we went to press, Tennessee Republican governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill, following the opinion of his Democratic attorney general that it wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge, freedom of speech being nearly as important in that country as freedom to own a gun.According to Meatingplace.com, Haslam also cited concerns that the new law might take away reporters' rights to gather information for stories, and that it might be harder to prosecute legitimate animal cruelty cases "as an unintended consequence."As well, a number of Tennessee celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, among them songwriter Emmylou Harris, country music singer Carrie Underwood and even Priscilla Presley. The Humane Society of the United States sees it as a victory; the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which writes and speaks out against animal rights legislation, is not pleased. BP A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? The battle of the polls over gestation stalls
Western Dairy Challenge 2026 Highlights Monday, March 23, 2026 The 2026 Western Regional Dairy Challenge, hosted at the University of Alberta, concluded on March 7 in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. The event brought together 77 students from 15 schools, along with coaches and volunteers, creating a valuable hands-on learning experience in dairy... Read this article online
FCC Expands Support Amid Fertilizer Cost Surges Monday, March 23, 2026 Rising global tensions in the Middle East are creating concern among farmers and agribusinesses about increasing input costs. In response, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has expanded its Trade Disruption Customer Support Program to provide financial relief and stability to those affected by higher... Read this article online
Fears of Stagflation and Recession on the Rise Monday, March 23, 2026 This week’s with experts Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal, Was titled “Higher Crude Oil Futures for Longer = Stagflation?”. The two experts explored major shifts across the commodity sector including rising crude oil... Read this article online
CSBP pushing for domestic production policy Monday, March 23, 2026 The Canadian Sugar Beet Producers (CSBP) wants to see more of its namesake crop grown and processed in Canada. At one point, sugar beets accounted for more than 20 per cent of the Canadian sugar market share. But that’s no longer the case, says Gwen Young, an Alberta sugar beet farmer... Read this article online
New Canadian Swine Research Targets Piglet Disease Monday, March 23, 2026 Swine InnovationPorc(SIP) is investing in new research to address Streptococcus suis, a harmful bacterial disease affecting post-weaned piglets led byDongyanXu Niu at the University of Calgary. This disease can cause serious health problems such as respiratory illness, meningitis, and sudden... Read this article online