Farmscape News

North American Pork Producers Hopeful Common Sense Will Prevail and CUSMA will Continue

Florian Possberg - Polar Pork Farms — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for July 3, 2026

A Partner with Polar Pork suggests despite the lack of progress in discussions aimed at extending the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement, pork producers in all three countries remain hopeful common sense will prevail and the free movement of agricultural products will continue.
With the first mandatory review of the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement officially underway, the U.S. President has indicated the United States will not renew the agreement in its current form.
Florian Possberg, a Partner with Polar Pork, says over the past year there were times when it looked like there were some serious negotiations then it kind of seesawed and we have now reached the point where any of the three countries can give six months notice to exit the agreement.

Quote-Florian Possberg-Polar Pork:
If an agreement was based on good business principles, no doubt there would be an agreement signed for pork and many other agricultural commodities.
The uncertainty comes when President Trump has made some rather bold statements that disturbed the industry.
Prime Minister Carney has said he's not going to sign a deal unless it's a good deal.
Does that mean it's based on aluminum and lumber and car parts and agriculture is left hanging?
The fact that we don't have something definitive just creates doubt and uncertainty is not good for our business.
Prime Minister Carney stated the other day that, when negotiating with President Trump, you might think there's a whole bunch of problems and then all of a sudden, a deal is struck and everybody goes home happy.
That's kind of an optimistic view.
A pessimistic view would be that things really turn sour and we get notice and then six months, we start having tariffs put on us.
So, it's pretty hard to tell how things will turn out at the end but we really hope that it will come down to common sense in the end.

Possberg says Canadian pork producers will continue the dialogue with their American and Mexican counterparts and lobby Canada's trade negotiators, we know the Americans will do the same and Mexico is in tune with the need for trade agreements as well.
Assuming that good business principles apply, he's optimistic that we can have a good outcome.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Identification of Temperatures Needed to Kill Swine Pathogens Continues to Shape Swine Transportation Biosecurity

Dr. Stuart Smyth - University of Saskatchewan — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for July 3, 2026

A Professor with the University of Saskatchewan says research that identified temperatures needed to kill swine disease causing pathogens continues to influence swine transportation biosecurity.
The report, "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada," released by the University of Saskatchewan and profiled as part of a YouTube webinar, looks at the value of national swine research funded through partnerships involving Swine Innovation Porc.
Dr. Stuart Smyth, a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan and one of the authors of the report, says overall each dollar invested by pork producers in research yielded an eight to one return on investment while providing ongoing benefits to the pork sector.

Quote-Dr. Stuart Smyth-University of Saskatchewan:
One of the projects that was really quite informative was a project that was funded between 2018 and 2023 and this project looked at this issue of how to improve biosecurity by sterilizing livestock transportation trailers.
There's a disease called Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea and there's no drug or cure for this.
It causes significant impacts within the swine production sector.
It was identified that if trailers could be properly sterilized, that would be one way of significantly reducing the transmission of this disease between infected pigs and healthy pigs during the transportation process.
This was led by the University of Saskatchewan and what they did is through some trial and error, they found the temperature, they found how long the temperature had to be applied to a trailer to achieve the sterility of the implement.
And so, it turned out to have a significant long-term benefit well beyond the end of the project that now trailers are sterilized according to the protocols that were developed and the incidence of this disease has begun to decline.

Dr. Smyth says heat sterilization has become ingrained within the Canadian swine transport sector with operators building dedicated wash facilities designed to accommodate the baking of transport trailers.
To access the webinar search YouTube for "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada."
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Swine Health Information Center Highlights Efforts to Support Eradication of New World screwworm from the United States

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for July 2, 2026

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center highlights action being taken for the rapid identification and containment of New World screwworm cases with the goal of its eradication from the United States.
UDSA confirmed the first detection of New World screwworm in the U.S. June 3rd in the umbilicus of a three-week-old calf close to the Texas-Mexico border.
Swine Health Information Center Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says New World screwworm has been identified in the U.S. in the past and has been under observation and monitoring since 2024.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
There has been historical evidence from USDA that New World screwworm can be eradicated from the U.S.
This was done primarily in the 1960s for all the U.S., and then there was a very localized outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2016 and 2017 which was also eradicated.
USDA is employing a lot of different methods, specifically sterile insect technique, which is geared at the release of sterile male flies that breed with the female flies and lay eggs that are not able to hatch.
In addition, they are also doing monitoring and surveillance through fly traps.
They also are able to tell wild versus released flies by the dye that's been applied and then increasing observations and surveillance of animals along with movement controls.
All of these things are being utilized to reduce the spread, to maintain it and to remove it in populations as best they can.
At this point, it really is important to monitor and observe your animals daily for signs of New World screwworm infestation, such as a wound that does not heal, shaking their heads or biting at wounds or scratching at wounds, but also seeing a wound that may have larvae or eggs near that.
It's very important to be able to identify something that is not normal with your animals.
Also, it's important if you do suspect a case, to alert your herd veterinarian and if you don't have one, work with your state veterinarian to be able to assess on a case-by-case basis.

Further information, including links to a New World screwworm fact sheet and SHIC's monthly swine health monitoring updates can be found at swinehealth.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Crop Damage from Intense Rains Across Manitoba Monday Still Being Assessed

Dennis Lange - Manitoba Agriculture — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for July 2, 2026

Manitoba Agriculture reports damage from intense rain earlier this week will be assessed over the next few days.
Manitoba Agriculture released its weekly crop report Tuesday.
Dennis Lange, provincial pulse and soybean specialist with Manitoba agriculture and editor of the provincial crop report, says isolated thunderstorms brought hail, strong winds, intense rain, and possible tornadoes to most of the province over the past seven days.

Quote-Dennis Lange-Manitoba Agriculture:
Monday afternoon, or late Monday evening there was a major weather system that moved through the southwest and northwest areas.
From June 29th from 6 a.m. to June 30th, a period covering 31 hours, storms brought some excessive rain to the southwest in the Boissevain area as well as the northwest regions in St. Rose and Fork River area.
Some very strong winds, 80 kilometers an hour and a significant amount of rainfall, upwards of 40, 50, and even higher millimeters of rainfall in that short time period.
Overall, we have seen some good progress but I think in some of these areas that did receive that excess moisture, we'll have to wait a few days to see what kind of response the crop is going to have.
A lot of it will depend on which crop it is and also a lot will depend on how quickly the water drains off in some of those areas that got highly affected by that excessive rainfall.
For example, areas in the northwest have accumulated more than 150 percent of their normal precipitation while areas in the southern Interlake near Stonewall have accumulated almost 250 percent of their normal precipitation.
Up until this last rainfall, parts of the southwest around Killarney and areas in the eastern region are under 80 percent of the 30-year average precipitation for this season.
That may change a little bit in next week's report.

Lange says crops do look good, although areas with excessive moisture continue to show uneven growth and nutrient stress symptoms.
He says the excess moisture has really put stress on some of the crops, but the biggest thing right now is for the water to drain away and to see what kind of crop we have left.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

SHIC Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report Marks 100th Edition

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 30, 2026

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center says SHIC's Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report has become one of the most accessed reports on its website.
The Swine Health Information Center is observing the publication of the 100th edition of its Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says this tool is important in helping assess what is happening with emerging disease threats across the U.S. and elsewhere.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
This report started in 2018 and it emerged just from a diagnostic report to a more expanded near real-time monitoring, which includes analytics, extended communication and preparedness efforts but it also has provided a standardized format for all of the diagnostic information to be assessed and made relevant to producers and users of this report.
A lot of the changes that we've seen over time really are fueled by user input and advisory group that help to guide different steps and needs associated with monitoring.
Our diseases change over time, our diagnostic tests over time and the reports have adjusted to be able to continue to hone in on the information that is needed from practitioners when they look at their herds.
Right now, the report covers PCR results for key pathogens such as PRRS, PED, porcine delta coronavirus, influenza, mycoplasma, E. coli, and PCV2 and 3.
There's now seven labs that are being incorporated into this program, including Kansas State University, South Dakota State, Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, Purdue University, the Ohio State University and University of Illinois.
Again, all of these submissions represent cases that are sent to the diagnostic lab for analysis for potential diseases and they encompass over 96 percent of all of the swine diagnostics performed in the U.S.

Dr. Becton says this is one of the most frequently accessed reports on the SHIC website and it is used by veterinary audiences assessing trends for their herds as well as producers, researchers and other allied industries and stakeholders.
All of SHIC's reports can be accessed at swinehealth.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

New Dietary Guidelines for Americans Expected to Influence Nutrition Globally

Dr. Ashley Johnson - National Pork Producers Council — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 29, 2026

The Director of Food Policy with the National Pork Producers Council says the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recognises meat as a nutritious product that Americans should be prioritizing, will influence nutrition globally.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January will guide federal nutrition policies, education programs and food assistance initiatives for the next five years.
Dr. Ashley Johnson, the Director of Food Policy with the National Pork Producers Council, says the new guidelines recognise the importance of meat protein reversing a decades long shift away from meat-based proteins to plant-based proteins.

Quote-Dr. Ashley Johnson-National Pork Producers Council:
The DGAs actually will touch every American in some way, a family member and some of the big programs.
We think about are our school meals programs.
Every school has to follow the DGAs and SNAP recipients, WIC, our veteran’s meal programs, our military, our prisons, our indigenous tribes, a lot of those, they all have to follow the DGAs.
The other really important thing, too, is the U.S. DGAs actually influence what the world puts out.
We have a lot of conversations with others globally because right now the global conversation is still reduction of meat, replacing with plant-based.
Because we flipped the script, literally flipped that pyramid upside down, there's going to be other countries that are looking towards us as the leaders in that space.
And so, this could have a really great cascade effect, not just here in the U.S., but also globally.

Dr. Johnson says this is the first positive development for meat since 1980.
She suggests this is actually a very exciting time for the pork sector when it comes to nutrition because meat is back and it's back stronger than ever.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Researchers Pursue Antimicrobial Free Solutions to Post-Weaning Diarrhea

Dr. Vahab Farzan - University of Guelph — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 26, 2026

Research coordinated through Swine Innovation Porc is assisting in the development of antibiotic free approaches to addressing post-weaning diarrhea.
Research conducted by the University of Guelph which looked at post-weaning diarrhea associated with E. coli was discussed last week as part of a webinar hosted by Swine Innovation Porc.
Dr. Vahab Farzan, a Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor with the University of Guelph, estimates preventing and treating post-weaning diarrhea costs Canadian pork producers 100 million dollars annually and it is a significant reason for antimicrobial usage in young pigs increasing concerns over antimicrobial resistance.

Quote-Dr. Vahab Farzan-University of Guelph:
The aim of this project is to address three main questions.
What are the types of E. coli that cause post-weaning diarrhea on Canadian farms?
Why do we need to answer this question?
Because answering this question, having the knowledge would help to develop more efficient vaccines.
Question number two is, how frequent is the genetic susceptibility of pigs to ETEC F4 and F18 on Canadian farms?
Answering this question will help to improve the genetics program in order to have more resistant pigs against E. coli.
And the question number three is, what is the role of the gut microbiome or bacterial population in gut in developing post-weaning diarrhea?
This question and having knowledge about the microbiome will help to develop probiotics…we can find the good bacteria, they can put it in the diet as a probiotic which will promote the health in the gut of the pigs and they will be more resistant to E. coli infection.
So, all of these questions, as you see, they are common in one thing.
They don't rely on antimicrobial usage.
So, any of these methods is going to minimize the use of antimicrobials in swine, which is very important.

To access the webinar search YouTube for "disease risk and antimicrobial use in swine webinar."
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Saskatchewan Agriculture Reports Three Percent of Cropland Left Unseeded by Crop Insurance Deadline

Augustine Osei - Saskatchewan Agriculture — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 26, 2026

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports about three percent of cropland remained unseeded by this year's crop insurance deadline.
Saskatchewan Agriculture released its crop report Thursday for the period from June 16th to 22nd.
Agustine Osei, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says planting is close to finished.

Quote-Agustine Osei-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
At the moment, seeding in Saskatchewan is almost done.
It's nearly complete here and we are 99 percent and attention has now shifted to activities such as in-crop spraying and producers monitoring for pests and diseases.
Much of the province in the past week received some much-needed moisture.
Although some areas had it in excess and conditions at the moment are cool and cloudy, which has slowed crop development.
While most of the crops are reported to be developing at a normal pace, a huge portion of it or a notable portion of it is behind the expected stage of development for this time of year.
Various causes of crop damage were reported over the past week.
Excess moisture remains a primary concern when it comes to causing minor to moderate damage with some localized areas reporting severe damage.
With the moisture at the moment provincially, three percent of acres that would normally be seeded did not get seeded due to excess moisture.

Osei says due to the moisture producers are starting to notice diseases appearing, mostly root rot and in some cases leaf diseases.
He says flea beetles persist causing moderate damage in some areas and we have minor damage reported from cut worms.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Manitoba Planting 97 Percent Complete by Crop Insurance Deadline

Dennis Lange - Manitoba Agriculture — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 25, 2026

Manitoba Agriculture reports planting across the province stood at approximately 97 percent complete by last week's Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation's crop insurance deadline.
Manitoba Agriculture released its weekly Crop Report Tuesday.
Dennis Lange, a Provincial Pulse and Soybean Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Editor of the Provincial Crop Report, says it's been an interesting year and will continue to be that.

Quote-Dennis Lange-Manitoba Agriculture:
Variable amounts of precipitation occurred across the last seven days, with isolated showers sweeping through the southwest and central regions, with accumulations from zero to 34 millimeters.
Areas in the Interlake received less than five millimeters of rain and already flooded areas around the Swan River and Swan Valley areas received 22 millimeters of rain.
Somerset, down in the south here, received the highest accumulation of precipitation this last week, at 34 millimeters of rain.
Those big rains that we had the previous week, definitely is something that is still sticking around here yet.
Water is taking a long time to go down in those heavy, heavy areas and growers are still assessing the damage from those rains as of today.
With that being said, seeding progress right now, we're sitting at about 97 percent complete.
The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation's seeding deadline is June 20th, so based on that, that's where we're going to be at for seeding for this year.
The biggest area that we saw fewer acres go in would be in the northwest, in particular in the canola region, in that canola area there.
They were about 85 percent complete as of the seeding deadline.
So, again, just not as many, they were wetter early on with the big rains and just not everything was able to get in before the deadline.
But, that's how our start of the season is going to go.

Lange says, in terms of disease and insect challenges, the only thing that we're starting to see is bit of root rot showing up in some different regions and farmers are looking at different fungicide options for controlling Mycosphaerella blight in field peas and monitoring its progress.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Uncertainty Continues to Surround CUSMA Renegotiation

Florian Possberg - Polar Pork Farms — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 25, 2026

A partner with Polar Pork suggests, despite widespread support among North American farmers for continuation of the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement the status of the review remains uncertain.
The first official mandatory review of the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement is set for July 1st.
Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork, observes although the agreement has benefitted farmers in all three countries there is no definitive information to suggest the review has been done or any indication that outhandling issues have been settled between the United States and Canada.

Quote-Florian Possberg-Polar Pork:
It's hard to really gauge where we're at with these discussions because there's no real clear path.
Some of the statements that the President of the United States has made tends to say that we're not in a very good position and some of the feedback we get from trade negotiators is that there's a lot of positive goodwill between the two nations and there's a strong will to have things satisfactorily resolved.
So, we really do get mixed messages and being six days away from the end of June when this major trade agreement is meant to be reviewed, we really don't know what's going to happen.
There's no real clear guidelines or information coming back to us that gives us much comfort that there's been any real progress.
We do know that we have a lot of support from our American and Mexican counterparts to continue to have an integrated market.
We're not sure exactly what the outcome will be when the politicians put pen to paper.
So, I think we're going to kind of be flying by the seat of our pants for the next while and not really knowing what the outcome of this review is going to be.

Possberg notes feedback from American pork producers is that they very strongly support continuation of our free trade because it benefits both of our countries but what farmers desire and what the politicians agree to might not be in total alignment.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

NPPC Hopes for Quick Review and Extension of USMCA-CUSMA

Bryan Humphreys - National Pork Producers Council — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 24, 2026

The CEO of the National Pork Producers Council says the trade deal involving Canada, the United States and Mexico has been an outstanding agreement and he's optimistic it will continue.
With the first mandatory review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement set to officially begin July 1st, discussions over the agreement are already underway.
Brian Humphries, the CEO of the National Pork Producers Council, on hand earlier this month in Des Moines for World Pork Expo, says this has been an outstanding deal for all three countries.

Quote-Brian Humphries-National Pork Producers Council:
Yeah, for our friends in Canada, CUSMA, for the U.S., USMCA and so regardless of how we look at it, it is a partnership between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
For American agriculture, Canadian agriculture and Mexican agriculture and all of our consumers, has been absolutely outstanding.
It has been a huge benefit for Canadian producers who have sold live hogs into the United States, who have bought products from the United States and the United States has bought from Canada and the same with our partners in Mexico, as we've been able to help supply product down there for their industry as well.
There's been a number of letters signed by groups on both sides of the borders, our borders, all three countries, talking about the importance of USMCA and what it has done.
I think as we navigate through this, I think there's questions potentially in other sectors and we understand that but when we look at agriculture as a whole, and specifically livestock, we look forward to a swift review.
As you talk about a review, these discussions are underway and a constant reminder of the importance of being engaged in the discussions with the governments as we go through this.
From a U.S. agriculture, and specifically a pork industry standpoint, my counterpart from Canada and I were talking earlier, that we appreciate and our industries appreciate how wonderful CUSMA or USMCA has been for all three, U.S., Canada, and Mexico, for the pork sectors.
We look forward to a clean and swift year review.

Humphries says, as we look at this agreement, there's plenty of room to be optimistic for the continuation of the great partnership we have within agriculture.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

ASF and FMD Expansion Highlight that Foreign Animal Disease Remains a Significant Threat

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 23, 2026

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center observes the continued expansion of African Swine Fever and Foot-and-Mouth Disease serotype SAT 1 highlights the fact that foreign animal disease remains a significant threat.
As part of its June eNewsletter the Swine Health Information Center has released its monthly domestic and global swine disease monitoring reports.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton observes we're seeing new cases of African Swine Fever and Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
African Swine Fever is still continuing to be seen in Germany and there's been warnings of potential increased expansion into the North Rhine Westphalia region.
In Poland, a first outbreak occurred in 2026 of a large commercial herd, and this encompassed more than 21 thousand pigs. Foot-and-Mouth disease, SAT 1, was identified for the first time in Mongolia, and they have not experienced this virus detection before.
I think it just highlights the fact that foreign animal diseases are still a significant threat and that's because of a variety of reasons.
We know African swine fever remains in wild boars and the control of those animals remains important to reduce the risk of spread.
For other diseases, illegal animal movements have contributed to the spread of diseases.
The use of unapproved vaccines, but also vaccines that don't address a particular strain, as is in the case of SAT 1, also can help heighten the risk.
But the threat is significant and still present and it's very important to maintain all levels of biosecurity that can address reduction of risk for foreign animal and even other diseases.

The June global and domestic swine disease monitoring reports can be accessed through the Swine Health Information Center's website at swinehealth.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

All Involved in Agriculture Have Roles to Play in Building Consumer Trust

Clinton Monchuk - Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 22, 2026

The Executive Director of Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan suggests by getting the message of agriculture out to consumers farmers and the organizations that represent them are helping strengthen public trust in our food system.
"Trust in Our Food System is Imperative: What Can We Do?" is the focus of an article circulated through Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan's June eNewsletter.
Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan Executive Director Clinton Monchuk suggests everyone in agriculture has a role to play in building trust.

Quote-Clinton Monchuk-Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan:
We have really four different organizations that are trying to do this work in different aspects.
If I look at the national side of things, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity provides a lot about the market intelligence of what consumers are thinking, what they're saying, does in-depth dives on how we can better communicate with them, which then relates to the organization of Canadian Food Focus.
That really is a great online initiative that started here in Saskatchewan, Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan, to tell consumers about these things, these great stories, tell about farmers, how they grow everything from strawberries to ranch cattle and have that discussion with Canadians online.
You kind of get a little bit more fine-tuned when you get into the farm and food cares that pair up the agriculture industry and consumer and then to a younger level with agriculture in the classroom.
All of these organizations work together and coordinate their messaging to make sure that we're using the industry dollars to the best benefit but second of all, focusing on our target audiences and doing what we're supposed to do to build that trust with these different audiences.
It really is working in terms of getting the message of farming and ranching and just the general message of agriculture out to consumers.

Monchuk says, when it comes to building the public's trust and understanding, it's about telling the truth and being transparent about what farmers do and why.
The article can be found at farmfoodcaresk.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

NPPC Applauds News Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Dr. Ashley Johnson - National Pork Producers Council — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 19, 2026

The Director of Food Policy with the National Pork Producers Council says the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognises meat as nutritious and what Americans actually should be prioritizing at every meal.
The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was introduced in January.
The guidelines serve as the official blueprint for federal nutrition policies, education programs, and food assistance initiatives.
Dr. Ashley Johnson, the Director of Food Policy with the National Pork Producers Council, on hand earlier this month for World Pork Expo in Des Moines, observes since the 1980s recommendations have tended toward reducing meat consumption and replacing it with plant-based proteins.

Quote-Dr. Ashley Johnson-National Pork Producers Council:
It's actually a very exciting time for the pork sector when it comes to nutrition because meat is back and it is back stronger than ever with the new recommendations from the dietary guidelines for Americans because the pyramid has actually been flipped, literally been flipped where meat is actually on top.
It's being seen as nutritious and what all Americans actually should be prioritizing at every meal.
This is a complete different way of thinking because it hasn't been since 1980 that we've actually seen a positive movement with meat.
What I mean by that is that for many, many years we've seen this concept of recommendations reducing meat consumption and also replacing it with plant-based proteins.
And animal-based proteins and plant-based proteins are not created equal.
They're not the same.
We have the science to back that and a lot of our conversations have been around what does that actually mean because many people just don't understand why it's not an apple-to-apple comparison.
And it's not.
We get so many nutritious things from animal-based proteins such as pork.
With these new recommendations it's so exciting because pork is actually having a moment and we should be celebrating from the mountaintop and get our voices out there because there's so much more work to do from this.
Like I said, it's a big win but there's still more work to be done.

Dr. Johnson notes, the next major policy, the school meals program, will need to reflect the new guidelines so we can expect a huge change in our school system as school meal programs align their nutrition standards with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Despite Rain Delays, Seeding Close to Complete in Saskatchewan

Augustine Osei - Saskatchewan Agriculture — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 19, 2026

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports, despite rain that slowed seeding in some regions, farmers in all regions of the province are close to completion and will be shifting their focus to in-crop spraying.
Saskatchewan Agriculture released its crop report Thursday for the period from June 9th to 15th.
Augustine Osei, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says progress was slowed by rainfall but seeding is nearing completion in almost all areas.

Quote-Augustine Osei-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
What we saw this past week across the province is that the seeding currently is 97 percent complete, which is up from 93 percent last week and, though this is slightly below the five-and ten-year average of 99 percent, progress was slowed as a result of rain in some of the regions and excess moisture which made it difficult for farmers to access some of those fields to complete seeding.
Some of the regions received some precipitation while others did not even get any at all.
And in those regions where precipitation was received it was very variable, which resulted in variable amounts of topsoil moisture and in most parts most of the crops at this time of the year are at a normal stage and some reported good crop growth.
While in some areas where they didn't have precipitation some are also reporting some of the crops needing a bit of moisture.
So, it depends on the region.
It's very variable and depends on how much precipitation they got there.

Osei says at 97 percent complete, just below the five-and ten-year averages of 99 precent, it's a big jump from the previous week.
He says, with seeding wrapping up, producers will be shifting to spraying in crop but windy conditions in most of the regions and excess moisture in some fields are making it difficult for producers to access those fields so they'll be looking for favorable weather conditions.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers