Variety may be the spice of life, but it’s not something producers want to find in their pig herds. Keeping as many pigs within the weight range of the core shipping group is key to profitability, but feeder animals outside of the core smear red ink on hog producers’ balance sheets. Net returns for pigs […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Hog centre gets funding
Prairie Swine Centre’s provincial funding has been renewed for five more years. When announcing the $1.65 million funding, Saskatchewan agriculture minister Mark Wartman said the centre provides a valuable service to the hog industry in his province as well as Manitoba and Alberta. “This is a world-class example of applied agricultural research … and through […] Read more
Swine virus travels the globe
Porcine circovirus type two exists in every swine herd around the world, according to most veterinarians. It exists in the Americas, Europe and New Zealand. It likely exists in Australia, although officials there are reluctant to diagnose it. What to do about it is another matter. Despite the presence of the virus, PCV2 doesn’t always […] Read more
Veterinary Act changes worry Sask. MLA
A member of the Saskatchewan legislature feels changes to a provincial bill that regulates the veterinary profession threatens producers’ rights to treat their livestock and could drive out animal health practitioners who aren’t vets. When Bill 28 came before the provincial legislature last fall, it opened up the Veterinary Act for amendments. Yogi Huyghebaert, Saskatchewan […] Read more
Oat hulls become popular feed without fanfare
Oat markets have remained stronger than most other cereals and the byproduct of that success is finding a home in cattle rations. Oat hulls have continued to gain popularity in the cattle feeding and cow-calf industries, said Richard Reimer of Can-Oat Milling in Martensville, Sask. “They’re replacing ground straw in the rations,” said Reimer of […] Read more
Flax company promotes prairie-based fibre industry
Wanted: Prairie oilseed flax fibre seeks a new home, in a neighbourhood away from fire and straw choppers, in a community with multiple industrial employment opportunities. If flax straw were looking for a new place to live, it would find the premises at 161 Jessop Ave. in Saskatoon pretty appealing. That’s the address of Biolin […] Read more
New berry crop has built-in market overseas
The Russian blue honeysuckle has potential to provide a new fruit crop for prairie growers but unlike many new crops it comes with a significant advantage: an existing market. Linicera caerulea, also known as honeyberries, sweetberry honeysuckles, edible honeysuckles and haskappu but most commonly called haskap or blue honeysuckle, is in demand in Japan. The […] Read more
Bull sale sees price rebound
REGINA – Prices at the 101st annual Regina Bull Sale rose about 20 percent this year, suggesting that the Canadian cattle industry is returning to normal. This year’s high-selling Red Angus bull brought $24,900, more than doubling the price tag on last year’s high selling bull overall, a Charolais that fetched $11,750. The Red Angus, […] Read more
Winter weighs heavily overhead
LEROY, Sask. – Pig barn roofs are coming down due to snow loading. The above average snowfall in central Saskatchewan, as much as 180 percent of normal precipitation according to Environment Canada, is creating problems for hog producers. Newer barns are designed to hold large numbers of animals and are up to 75 metres wide […] Read more
CAIS reference margins call program into question
Farmers Colleen and Dale Whitford say what they thought was a financial blessing has become a curse. The cattle producers from Rose Valley, Sask., are not alone. Critics say the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization program is failing livestock producers and its flaws are now jeopardizing many small prairie farms. Despite earlier criticisms of the program, […] Read more
