Quebec producer heads national swine improvement centre Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by SUSAN MANNQuebec pork producer Lyse Grenier was elected chair of the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement at the organization’s annual meeting held earlier this month in Toronto.She replaces John Gough of Novastar Genetics in Ontario. He served as chair since June 2008.Grenier has more than 30 years of experience in the pork industry. Grenier and her husband, Normand Audet, are commercial pig producers in the Beauce region of Quebec. She has been very involved in several other swine industry organizations including being a member of the Federation des producteurs de porcs du Quebec for 14 years.Other members of the newly elected executive committee are: first vice-chair Phil Smith of Bodmin Swine Genetics in Ontario; second vice-chair Wim Van Berkel of the Western Swine Testing Association; Donald MacDonald of Apple Valley Farms in Prince Edward Island and Rod deWolde of BMR Genetics in Ontario. Others serving on the 11-member board of directors are: Dan Hurnik appointed by Atlantic Swine Centre, Pierre Falardeau appointed by the Centre de developpement du porc du Quebec Inc., Keith Rasmuson appointed by Western Swine Testing Association, Line Theroux appointed by Canadian Swine Breeders Association, Claude Vielfaure appointed by Canadian Pork Council, and John Webb appointed by the Canadian Meat Council.In other news from the annual meeting, past board chair Gough received the Brian Kennedy Memorial Award for this year. The award recognizes individuals who through their involvement in scientific research, program development or program implementation have made a significant contribution to the Canadian swine improvement program and swine industry. As a breeder, Gough has participated in numerous research projects led by or in collaboration with the swine improvement centre.Another award presented at the annual meeting June 14 and 15 was the Swine Breeders Merit Award. It went to Jim Whitehouse. This award is given to swine breeders who have made a significant contribution to the Canadian Swine Improvement program through their leadership, achievements and participation in performance testing. Whitehouse was the manager of Pureline Swine, a breeding herd in Guelph for many years. He was also extensively involved in the swine industry and served on numerous swine industry organizations.The swine improvement centre is a national, non-profit corporation created by the Canadian swine industry to provide leadership, coordination and services for swine genetic improvement in Canada. BF Behind the Lines - August 2011 Crate-less farrowing that makes for contented sows
Minister MacDonald’s record in the House Tuesday, June 30, 2026 With Parliament on its summer recess, Farms.com is summarizing the involvement of Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and his counterparts during the first session of the 45th Parliament. For context, this session started on May 26, 2025, and Prime Minister Carney appointed MacDonald as... Read this article online
Rogers Sugar Secures Long-Term Labour Deal at Taber Refinery Until 2032 Monday, June 29, 2026 Rogers Sugar Inc. has announced a significant long-term labour agreement that strengthens stability across Canada’s sugar beet sector, with unionized workers at its Taber, Alberta refinery ratifying an extension of their collective agreement through March 2032. The agreement, reached... Read this article online
CFIA Food Fraud Crackdown Protects Canadian Farmers and Food Integrity Monday, June 29, 2026 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has released its latest , revealing how enforcement actions that kept more than 150,000 kilograms of misrepresented food out of the marketplace are also playing a critical role in protecting Canada’s agriculture sector. While the report... Read this article online
Strong Demand and Heat Boost Grain Outlook Monday, June 29, 2026 On the weekly titled, “Weather + Acres + Chinese Demand = Fund Short Covering rally in Grains” for the week ending June 26, 2026, Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal agreed that grain markets may see a strong... Read this article online
- Derecho climatology (Gaustini/Bosart): a corridor through the northern Plains/upper Midwest carries a >65% annual chance of a derecho-strength MCS, driven by northwest flow on the ridge's periphery. We must watch this region over the next 60 days. More on this below... - Cold North Atlantic: Years with the current North Atlantic cold-tongue pattern favor western troughs + heat pushing into the Midwest. Caveat: rapid warming on the south side of the cold plume means the simple composite likely understates the evolving pattern. Plus the Gulf of Alaska has been warming which could negate these impacts. See this part of the video for a deeper dive. - Modeling caution: During Summer, global models like the ECMWF and GFS are at their weakest due to coarse resolution and their inability to res Monday, June 29, 2026 A dangerous early July heat wave is expected to test U.S. corn and soybean crops -- as if they have not already been tested enough -- as the growing season moves into a critical period for yield development. Nutrien agricultural meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says the next two weeks... Read this article online