RDSTWThe 2025 Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop will take place on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at Westerner Park. Swine Tech is Alberta’s biggest technical seminar specifically aimed at furthering the practical, hands-on knowledge of producers and barn workers.Some of the agenda topics are: Ventilation and What to Look For, “The Quadrant”, Sow Productivity &
The immediate impact of tariffs which are being imposed against Canadian exports may finally be having the hugely negative effects many have feared.Initially in the face of tariffs imposed by the willy-nilly trade policies of US president Donald Trump Canada has fared rather well.Many Canadians have taken the ‘elbows-up’ approach when making purchases looking
One line from the chorus of a song got stuck in my head when I was a boy. It probably happened when riding the school bus, while Mr. Besler had the radio playing. That one line is: “I never promised you a rose garden.” Does that sound familiar? It’s from a song sung by
The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board wants youth to see the pork industry as more than barns and chores. Through its Whole Hog video series, Sask Pork highlights the wide range of careers tied to pork production, from research and soil science to food preparation. At the centre of the initiative is 12-year-old Reise Podhordeski,
More than 100 pork producers from 20 states travelled to Washington, D.C., recently to press Congress for a legislative fix to California’s Proposition 12. They warned that without federal action, the law will continue to drive up costs, disrupt interstate commerce, and push family farms to the brink.During meetings on Capitol Hill, producers shared
Crop Profitability Update and an Early Look at Profitability into 2026, by Darren Bond, as shared on CropTalk by Manitoba Agriculture on September 10, set the tone for a sharp financial reality check. Harvest in Manitoba rolls forward between rains, frosts, and short dry windows, leaving farmers juggling immediate work and future planning. To
Dr. Lisa Becton
African Swine Fever strikes a major farm in Estonia, while Egypt identifies a fourth Foot and Mouth Disease strain. These outbreaks underscore the importance of robust monitoring and stringent bio-security measures across the global pork industry.The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) outlines the situation in its September disease monitoring reports. Associate Director
Relationships Over Rhetoricin Agriculture
I agree with Cam Dahl, General Manager of the Manitoba Pork Council, in a recent Op-ed that relationships matter. Too often, we see leaders and stakeholders resort to grandstanding—offering muffled threats, striking clever poses for the cameras, and chasing quick brownie points. The question we need to ask is simple: With
China escalated its trade fight with Europe, announcing provisional anti-dumping duties of up to 62.4 per cent on pork and by-products from the European Union, effective September 10. Beijing says EU suppliers dump product and cause ‘substantial damage’ to China’s pork industry. Authorities require cash deposits from exporters while the investigation proceeds, lifting costs
Rick Préjet with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.Photo courtesy of Cam Dahl.
Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork, says the Iowa market is too important to take for granted. He says Manitoba ships two million isoweans to Iowa every year, making this a critical relationship for producers on both sides of the border. That is
