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Ontario Agriculture Week Celebration Underway

Ontario PC MPP Celebrates Ag Week with Agriculture Open Houses

By , Farms.com

The first week of October marks Ontario Agriculture Week. This celebration has been an ongoing tradition since 1998, when former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Bert Johnson (Perth-Wellington) started the initiative.

Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece is doing his part to ensure that Ontario Agriculture Week doesn’t go unnoticed. Pettapiece will be hosting two agriculture open houses in his riding on October 5th. The first open house one will take place at the Arthur Public Library from 9:30am-11:30am and the second one will take place in at the Royal Canadian Legions in Mitchell from 2:00pm-4:00pm. All interested constituents are asked to RSVP by calling 1-800-461-9701.

“The week leading up to Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of agriculture in Perth-Wellington and in our province,” said Pettapiece. “It’s a chance to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of our farmers and all those who work in the agriculture and agri-food sectors.”

The Ontario agriculture and agri-food sectors together contribute more than $33 billion dollars to the economy and employ almost 700,000 people in the province.


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Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

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In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.