2021 Ontario Cereal Leaf Beetle Survey

May 19, 2021

We are gathering cereal leaf beetle (CLB) data again this year to help validate growing degree day models generated by AAFC-Saskatchewan. If you are out scouting cereal fields this growing season and come across CLB, we want you to let us know where you are finding this pest, what stage and how many you are finding. To enter your field information, please complete the CLB survey at the following link: Cereal Leaf Beetle Survey. The survey can be accessed from your smartphone, tablet or you can enter the field location information at your desktop computer.

As part of the CLB survey, we would also like 15 to 30 CLB larvae per field collected in vials of alcohol (or hand sanitizer) to send to AAFC-Lethbridge. There, Dr. Haley Catton will dissect the larvae to search for the very important parasitoid wasp, Tetrastichus julius. So if you find larvae, please contact Tracey Baute (519-360-7817) to coordinate these collections.

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.