Pork barn site visits reach milestone Thursday, March 8, 2012 by BETTER FARMING STAFFOntario Pork recently processed its 500th barn site visit for the National Biosecurity Training Program of the Canadian Swine Health Board. The Canadian Swine Health Board has provided funding to Ontario Pork for an additional 1,000 barn site visits.Dr. Mike DeGroot, Ontario Biosecurity Program Coordinator for Ontario Pork, says the program has two parts. Farmers meet in groups with a veterinarian for training on best biosecurity practices. Farmers then fill out a self-assessment and that is followed up with a farm visit by the veterinarian.On the farm visit, DeGroot says, veterinarians make suggestions and tell farmers “where they can improve their biosecurity.”So far, 1,000 producers have taken the class sessions. DeGroot says they expect class sessions and visits to all 1,500 barn sites will be wrapped up by the end of this year. BF Report says pork exports to South Africa under threat How much have productivity gains offset the downsizing impacts?
Farmers Balance Costs and Technology Investments - Tractor Sales Down Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Sales of agricultural tractors and combines in the United States and Canada delivered a mixed performance in February, highlighting how farmers are adapting their purchasing decisions amid shifting commodity markets, input costs, and economic conditions. While tractor sales softened... Read this article online
Sask. NDP wants tougher penalties related to foreign farmland ownership Wednesday, March 11, 2026 The Saskatchewan NDP wants foreign farmland owners who don’t obey the law to face stiffer penalties. Trent Wotherspoon, the party’s deputy shadow minister for agriculture and rural affairs, and the shadow minister of finance, introduced The Saskatchewan Farm Security (Foreign Farmland... Read this article online
Middle East conflict pushes fertilizer costs higher, forcing Ontario growers to rethink corn acres Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Ontario farmers are bracing for a turbulent spring as fertilizer and fuel prices surge in response to the escalating conflict involving Iran, a development that analysts say could reshape planting decisions across North America. The spike in nitrogen costs—the most critical and... Read this article online
Group calls on Health Canada to make labels mandatory for gene-edited pork Tuesday, March 10, 2026 An advocacy group of farmers and environmental organizations wants Health Canada to implement mandatory labelling on pork from gene-edited pigs. Earlier this year, the federal agency approved the sale of gene-edited pigs as food. The pigs are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and... Read this article online
Global Conflict Drives Major Surges in Commodity Markets Monday, March 9, 2026 A major international conflict the war in Iran has disrupted trade flows, pushing energy and grain prices sharply higher. On the weekly Ag Commodity Corner+ Podcast with Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal shared the markets made sharp moves in the week of March 2 to 6, after a rapidly... Read this article online