EDMONTON — Frank Novak said if he was a gambling man, he would bet that the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus will show up in Alberta. “When you have as many moving parts as we have in the livestock industry in Western Canada, there are so many opportunities, literally hundreds and hundreds every day, for someone […] Read more
Tag Archives hogs
Hog virus driving shortage, price rally
Hog prices and profits for prairie producers are shooting off the charts. Is this sustainable or a top? Hog market analysts are debating that, and it won’t be answered until the U.S. Department of Agriculture issues its March 28 Hogs and Pigs Report. “It’s nuts,” Hams Marketing’s Tyler Fulton said about the hog price rally. […] Read more
Pork producers must enhance biosecurity
Pork producers must learn to be more vigilant than a Russian security guard at the Sochi Olympics if they want to keep porcine epidemic diarrhea out of Canada. Pork officials and veterinarians believe the deadly PED virus, which became a reportable disease in Alberta Jan. 20, will likely sneak across the border from the United […] Read more
Dirty trucks weak link in virus chain
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus | Canada has a plan to contain PED if it arrives, but clean trucks from the U.S. are key
Livestock haulers that bring cattle into Canada and take pigs back to the United States are causing concerns about potential spread of a deadly pig virus. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED), a highly infectious illness, has caused major piglet losses in 20 U.S. states. It has not been found in Canada, and those in the […] Read more
Now: Hog prices surge and wane, but remain low; Then: Hog prices may have peaked
NOW: Farmers might not feel they are living in a golden era when they see those sorts of headlines. Somehow, the record highs don’t seem to have the impact that a farmer might hope for. It’s a result of the difference between nominal and real prices, which disguises the brutal long-term reality of agricultural production, […] Read more
Hog disease increases in North Carolina
Hog disease increases in North Carolina
(Reuters) — The onset of cooler fall temperatures has increased the spread of a virus lethal to young pigs in North Carolina, a state agriculture official said. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) has spread to 250 farms since June, said Tom Ray, North Carolina’s director of livestock health. While the disease continues to spread, Ray […] Read more
Profits seen as hog prices rise, feed dips
Return of $30 to $50 per hog | Hog prices may decline this fall, but corn is also expected to drop
Severe stress in the Canadian hog business is easing as profits replace losses, but many farmers still walk a knife’s edge. If today’s trends continue, most producers should be on the road to recovery, but everything depends on factors beyond farmer control. “After five years of ‘next year will be better,’ we’ve gotten a little […] Read more
Full farrowing crates key to producer’s success
Forget pigs per sow philosophy | Focusing on numbers leads to poor barn management and reduced meat quality, says expert
John Carr says the holy grail of pig production often contains poison wine. “Pigs per sow per year actually drives down profit,” the international hog production and profitability expert told the Manitoba Swine Seminar. “The only thing that is truthful on a farm is the money the slaughterhouse pays you.” Carr said the industry’s obsession […] Read more
Falling corn prices lift hog producers’ spirits
Stable U.S. sow herd surprises market | North American pork exporters could profit from European open housing rules
Falling corn prices today and a weak corn price outlook have saved pork producers’ bacon from what could have been a brutal New Year’s setback. The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Hogs and Pigs report revealed that the U.S. sow herd isn’t shrinking, which would normally be expected to lower hog prices. However, the […] Read more
Weanling prices rebound as feed price dips
Anyone expecting to find depressed farmers and a morose outlook at Manitoba Hog and Poultry Days would have been surprised. The show wasn’t deserted and lots of farmers wandered the aisles of the trade show, looking to spend money on their recently money-losing operations. “If there’s an economic benefit at the end of the day, […] Read more
