John Greig

Ailsa Craig

Senior Editor for Ontario, Livestock and Technology for Glacier FarmMedia. All agriculture, all the time. Always take stairs two at at time.

Articles

Baconmaker Classic brings young people to the Pork Congress

2 days ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

There are several classes for the competitors at the Baconmaker Classic at the Ontario Pork Congress. Here are the top three placing from each other them.
Baconmaker Classic brings young people to the Pork Congress

2 days ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

There are several classes for the competitors at the Baconmaker Classic at the Ontario Pork Congress. Below are the top three placing from each other them.
Hog price and demand jump pull more pigs to U.S.

3 days ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

Buyers are aggressively looking to purchase Canadian pigs, despite the increased risk of tariffs when exporting pigs to the United States. The protein market has tightened in the U.S., and American buyers had a booth and were circulating looking for Canadian finishing pigs and weaners at the Ontario Pork Congress in Stratford last week. Why it matters: High prices and strong demand can help mitigate the risk of geopolitics in the hog market.
U.S. gene edited pig approval a test for Canada’s rules

3 days ago | producer.com | John Greig

Glacier FarmMedia – The approval in the United States for food use of pigs gene edited to resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome will be a good test for Canada’s year-old approval process for gene editing. PRRS is a nasty virus with significant economic implications for farms, but it also has an emotional toll on farmers and farm workers.
Milk permeate could be an energy drink for transition cows

4 days ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

Milk permeate could be an option to feed to transition dairy cows, but the logistics of moving or processing it on a farm will make its adoption a challenge. Physiological and metabolic changes in cows as they approach calving and in the few weeks after are significant and feeding appropriate nutrition to cows is difficult as they are often in negative energy balance. Enter a way to get more energy to transition cows while dealing with excess milk permeate in the marketplace.
Dairy cow heat stress affects almost 40 per cent of days

4 days ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

New research continues to qualify the cost of heat stress on dairy cattle. Impacts, from a decline in milk and components production to effects on reproduction, mean that heat stress costs farmers money. Why it matters: The number of warm and humid days is increasing in eastern Canada, which will mean greater heat stress for dairy cows. If temperature trends continue, heat stress could cost farmers about $9 per hectolitre by 2049, says Veronique Ouilet, an assistant professor at Laval University.
Exeter Produce’s Veri family diversifies into poultry for future generations

1 week ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

Exeter Produce’s focus is in its name, but it’s pivoting to poultry to grow the business for the next generation. Mike and Jim Veri run the company started by their father, with several of their children now involved. Why it matters: Succession plans take many forms, but for many farmers that means diversifying into a new sector, like the Veri family has done.
Canadian milk requirements down in April 2025 compared to March

1 week ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

Canada’s raw milk production and milk demand both decreased in April 2025, but there was enough supply that butter stocks continued to increase. In its monthly report on the state of the Canadian milk market, the Canadian Dairy Commission said that butter stocks, which work as a way to store milk production, increased by 911 tonnes in April.
Farmer, innovator Peter Hannam passes away at 85

2 weeks ago | farmtario.com | John Greig

Peter Hannam, a visionary leader, farmer and entrepreneur has passed away at age 85. Hannam built his family Woodrill Farms to be the thriving agriculture business it is today, but it was the organizations and businesses he led and built off the farm that had a larger lasting on the Ontario agriculture sector. He was a maker of alliances that continue to benefit Ontario agriculture.
U.S. gene edited pig approval a test for Canada’s rules

3 weeks ago | manitobacooperator.ca | John Greig

The approval in the United States for food use of pigs gene edited to resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS, will be a good test for Canada’s year-old approval process for gene editing. PRRS is a nasty virus with significant economic implications for farms, but it also has an emotional toll on farmers and farm workers. Iowa State University reported last year that the disease costs American farmers $1.2 billion in losses.