Additional support available for some Ontario hog farmers

Nov 30, 2020

Ontario Pork is pleased to share an update with producers regarding the Canada-Ontario COVID-19 2020 Hog Feed Maintenance Initiative.

In the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, market disruptions led to delays for some producers in shipping market-ready hogs. Ontario Pork has worked closely with government to calculate the impact on producers and develop a framework for payments to offset associated feed costs.

Agricorp announced that eligible producers may receive a one-time payment to help offset the cost of additional feed for hogs held back due to plant closures between April 5 and June 13, 2020.

To qualify for this initiative, a producer must demonstrate that they owned market-ready hogs which:

Were scheduled to be processed at Olymel and Weston processing plants between April 5 and June 13, 2020
Were held back from shipping for a minimum of eight (8) days
Were shipped for processing between April 5 and June 13

Source : Ontario Pork

Video: Season 6, Episode 6: The Science Behind Sudden Sow Deaths

Recent necropsies have revealed new insights into unexplained sow deaths, helping producers better understand the causes behind these losses. A recent study led by Laura Solis, a graduate student at Iowa State University, examined why these deaths occur, many around farrowing. In some cases, animals were sent to the lab for further analysis, as discussed by Dr. Marcelo Almeida, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. The episode also features Dr. Chris Rademacher, clinical professor and swine extension veterinarian as well as associate director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center, who asks questions of what seasonal factors there were and management strategies that can influence herd health outcomes.