(Country Guide file photo)

Canada’s realized net farm income way down in 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Stagnant farm cash receipts against significant increases in feed, fuel and interest costs have led to Canada’s biggest decline in realized net farm income in over a decade. That’s according to Statistics Canada, which on Tuesday released full-year farm income data for 2018, pegging realized net farm income for the year at $3.9 billion, down […] Read more




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New Trump aid plan for U.S. farmers to rely on direct payments

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration’s second package of aid for U.S. farmers hit by the trade war with China is expected to have a similar structure to last year’s program, using direct payments and commodity purchases, industry sources briefed on the plan said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still finalizing the plan, […] Read more


CME June 2019 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs mixed, nearbys up on export hopes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures ended mixed on Thursday, with nearby futures contracts building on strong gains in the previous session on expectations that China would soon sharply accelerate imports of U.S. pork. Deferred contracts were pressed down by active spread trading that featured buying of June futures and selling of October […] Read more






A beagle. (BPretorius/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. to train more beagles to sniff out swine fever

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government will increase the number of dogs used to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can […] Read more

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PEDv arrives in Alberta hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Veterinary officials in Alberta are now investigating the province’s first-ever outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. Alberta Pork, the province’s hog producer commission, and the provincial government on Tuesday announced an outbreak of the viral disease at what was described as a “400-head hog operation.” Javier Bahamon, quality assurance and production manager for […] Read more