Ontario Pork is proud to celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day with the launch of The Whole Hog. The book is a collection of pork recipes, stories and tips gathered from people who work across Ontario’s food supply chain. The 200-page book highlights local food and is designed for anyone who yearns for everyday sustainability.

What does the smaller cattle inventory mean for the new packers that are expected to come on line in the near future?

There’s likely to be a change in the cost of beef at the grocery store. That’s because historic drought and other factors are pressuring producers across the country to reduce their cattle counts.

Baby kangaroo feces might help provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane. A microbial culture developed from the kangaroo feces inhibited methane production in a cow stomach simulator in a Washington State University study.

Beef/Cattle: Based on slaughter data through early February, the pace of cattle slaughter is faster than expected from last month. However, winter weather appears to have impeded performance of feedlot cattle as well as taken a toll on cow and bull weights.

native grass pastures can take up to four years to become fully established. Because they have been selected for better establish­ment and forage production characteristics, use known cultivars. Species and cultivar selection, site prepara­tion, seed quality, seed source, and seeding date must be considered to ensure the successful establishment of a native grass pasture.

A grazing system is a planned schedule of pasture use and defines when and where livestock will graze during the season to accomplish a producer’s goals. Range management extension specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Trevor Lennox says the system you use can have a significant impact on pasture health and productivity. Alice McFarlane

A fire claimed an industrial hog barn and thousands of animals near the town of Sturgis, Sask. over the weekend. According to Olymel, a food service company headquartered in Quebec, the fire at its location near the town of Sturgis on Feb. 12 resulted in a total loss of the building. Approximately 10,000 hogs died

For the pork sector in Canada, research is like oxygen: if you don’t see its value, try living without it. In an industry where margins are thin and profit is never assured, the one constant is the need for cutting-edge research to aid producers. Against that backdrop, Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) has been managing pork

Research exploring the factors related to the health of the gut of the pig is expected to result in new interventions that will improve animal health, welfare and productivity.