The hog industry in Western Canada has been knocked to its knees in recent months by high feed prices and negative margins. A large hog breeder, producer and feed company — Manitoba-based Puratone Corporation — is in the process of being bought by Maple Leaf Foods, the company’s largest hog buyer. Amidst the fall out… Read More
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Pork producers in Canada continue to take a beating as what looked like a period of profitable production was turned on its head by high corn prices. Some producers who didn’t lock in some kind of a contract price are getting out while they can, selling their stock at a loss to avoid even greater… Read More
I have never owned a hog or participated in the business at all but from the outside it does appear to be a very tough financial business. I have had several chats with producers that have been in the business for a long time and the concerns are real for the long term sustainability of… Read More
Harry Siemens discusses the Manitoba harvest with me. Every province really has a different story to tell this year and Manitoba is no different. The crop went in quick but the bite of an early fall is providing challenges to many farmers. In the spring Manitoba farmers were able to get the crop in fas… Read More
Harry Siemens of SiemensSays does a great job in the following article and podcasts to bring to light the controversy over who has or hasn’t reported their donor list in the past CWB elections. Harry interviews former board candidate Rolf Penner, Ian Craven of Meyers Norris Penny and Larry Hill, Canadian Wheat Board Chair. Get… Read More
The threat of bovine tuberculosis from wild populations of animals in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park area has weighed heavily on cattle producers in the region for some time. The region has seen a steady decline in cattle and ranchers in part due to this threat. As a plan of attack, Manitoba recently announced the… Read More
Hog production in Western Canada had a rough go this week. First, Big Sky Farms entered receivership — for the second time in less than four years — then, just yesterday, Puratone Corporation filed for creditor protection. It is not a good time to be a hog farmer, with reported losses per hog ranging from… Read More
Niverville, Manitoba-based Puratone Corporation is the second major hog producer in as many weeks to hit the skids, Harry Siemens reports . Puratone filed for creditor protection today, after the board of directors agreed it was the only viable alternatives given the present financial state of the company. Puratone is a major hog supplier to Maple… Read More
There is pressure building in the halls of Washington to rescind the mandatory ethanol mandates. With tightening supplies of corn creating higher feed prices for livestock producers and higher food costs for consumers, the pressure mounting in Washington is real. To this point though, according to Kevin Grier of the George Morris Center, nothing has changed. Kevin believes that… Read More
With the recent ruling by the World Trade Organization declaring elements of the U.S. Country Of Origin Labelling program to be unfair, Canadian livestock producers feel that the first steps have been made in restoring exports lost when the program began. While Canadian producers applaud the move, there is an underlying skepticism that this decision… Read More
It’s the fourth consecutive NDP government for Manitoba with voters electing Greg Selinger for the provinces top job last Tuesday. So what does that mean for agriculture in the province? Does the election signal the go ahead for the government to stay the course when it comes to ag policy? If that’s how the NDP… Read More
There is no doubt that this year farmers in the Red River Valley region of Manitoba will be watching water levels closely. An above average amount of snow this winter as well as runoff from upstream could mean trouble for anyone caught in the flood plains. A slow melt so far has helped brighten the… Read More
The federal government is proposing to change who is eligible to vote in the upcoming Canadian Wheat Board Election. My understanding is currently that if you have or had a permit book you could vote. The proposed change would require a farmer to at least deliver 40MT of production from one of the seven major… Read More
Harry Siemens of SiemensSays.com provides this pictorial commentary of the wet situation in Manitoba, Minnesota and North Dakota. On the weekend certain areas had 3 more inches of rain which is causing great difficulties for the land that did get planted. Harry points out that the land with the best drainage is showing the best… Read More
Talking to hog producers in Manitoba, there is a real head scratching issue taking place. Hog producers are strongly criticizing the provincial government for not stepping up to compensate hog farmers for this terrible economic environment. The province think that it is a Federal government issue but others disagree. My friend journalism friend Harry Siemens… Read More