Goderich barn fire claims more than 600 pigs; another fire damages barn near Monkton

Dec 05, 2016

Fires occurred Saturday and Monday mornings

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Ontario firefighters were called to two barn fires between Saturday and Monday mornings.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, 640 pigs were killed when a barn near Goderich went up in flames. Crews from Blyth, Goderich, Wingham and Lucknow responded to the fire after a passer-by saw the building burning.

The Fire Marshal is investigating the cause and investigators say the fire isn’t suspicious.

Damage is estimated at $1 million.

Another fire broke out just after 4:00 a.m. Monday morning at a barn on Line 53 near Road 180, near Monkton.

Firefighters from Mitchell brought a tanker truck and crews from Atwood also assisted.

At this time, the cause, estimated damage to the Monkton barn, and if it was empty, is unknown.

Farms.com has reached out to the Goderich Fire Department and the North Perth Fire Department for comments.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.