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Reporting of Live Hog Movements Among Shippers and Receivers Grows

The Canadian Pork Council reports about 65 percent of those who ship or receive hogs in Canada are now reporting the movements of those animals to the PigTrace Canada database.
Effective July 1, 2014, under changes to Canada's Health of Animals Regulation, the reporting of movements of live swine in Canada became mandatory.
Jeff Clark, the manager of PigTrace Canada, an initiative of the Canadian Pork Council, says compliance is growing.
 
Jeff Clark-PigTrace Canada:
 
Initial registration came through the provincial pork organizations throughout Canada so any members that the provincial offices had, we automatically created PigTrace accounts for them.
All their premises information was put into the system.
That was about 8,000 premises or 7,500.
Since then though there's been many non-registered producers out there that we just didn't know about, a lot of outdoor backyard production, non-commercial and ball park, it's around 600 to 700 new registrations on top of what we already had so right now we're at about 8,500 registrations in the system.
About 65 percent of those are reporting across Canada, so that's approaching 5,000 premises now.
Regionally it's pretty consistent.
Some of the smaller provinces maybe have better compliance.
Quebec has had amazing compliance, upwards of 75 percent and mostly that's because they still are central desk marketing.
They have a marketing regulation in Quebec.
Here in Manitoba our compliance is about 65 percent I believe.
There's not a lot of regional difference.
Provinces like Newfoundland and the Yukon are coming on line so it's not just our typical pork production regions that are on this program, it's all across Canada.
 
By Bruce Cochrane

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The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.