Agriculture news

• How University of Iowa dropouts built a global ag tech company

  12-01-2026 16:32 via farms.com
  Matthew Rooda began working in the swine industry at a young age. First, he helped his grandfather on a family farm, and later he worked with his father, who managed a commercial farm in Iowa.When it was time for college, he enrolled at the University of Iowa with plans to study genetics and biotechnology, and eventually planned to go to medical school to become an obstetrician.When Rooda met with the medical school admissions committee at the University of Iowa, he was told that he had to be di
  
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• MU Extension tackles persistent labor shortages in hog production

  12-01-2026 16:29 via farms.com
  University of Missouri Extension specialists are working with the swine industry and temporary visa holders to help recruit, retain and develop agriculture professionals needed to address ongoing farm labor shortages.The TN visa program was established in 1994 under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The “TN” designation, short for Treaty NAFTA, refers to a professional nonimmigrant classification now governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.TN visas allow U.S. emp
  
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• Swine fever deaths surge in Spain amid fears of new virus strain

  12-01-2026 16:27 via farms.com
  Spain has recorded a surge in the deadly African swine fever sweeping Catalonia as authorities bring in drones and helicopters to help contain the outbreak.The region’s department of agriculture announced on Monday that a further 18 wild boar have died from the highly contagious disease near Cerdanyola del Valles, bringing the tally up to a total of 47.The ministry said that the rise was due to wider testing in hard-to-reach areas, explored by air over the Christmas holidays. It emphasised
  
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• Swine Innovation Porc unveils 4 Advancing Swine Research projects

  12-01-2026 16:25 via farms.com
  Swine Innovation Porc is pleased to announce four research projects under its Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, a national initiative designed to strengthen the resiliency, sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s pork sector.Supported by the Pork Promotion and Research Agency, the projects announced represent the first set of approved investments under a highly competitive, industry-guided research call. Additional approved projects will be announced as partner co-funding
  
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• Pork producers address USDA's New World screwworm response

  12-01-2026 16:23 via farms.com
  The National Pork Producers Council submitted comments on the USDA's draft response plan for a New orWld screwworm detection in the United States. NPPC's feedback addressed areas of the response including movement controls and movements to slaughter, treatment and physical examinations, among others.NWS is a flesh-eating parasite from female flies that lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, including pigs and people. According to USDA, animals that recently have given birth, suffered an inj
  
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• Episode #84: How to Identify Sick Pigs Early

  12-01-2026 16:20 via farms.com
  How to Identify Sick Pigs EarlyIn this episode of the SwineTime podcast, staff veterinarian and Pipestone Holdings owner Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by fellow veterinarian and partner Dr. Joseph Yaros for a practical discussion on one of the most critical aspects of swine production: identifying sick pigs early and responding appropriately.The conversation centers on real-world, barn-level observations that help producers and caretakers detect health challenges before they turn into larger perfo
  
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• Mid-January CGC updates

  12-01-2026 15:05 via farms.com
  Farms.com keeps you updated with Canadian Grain Commission license changes
  
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• Developing a new plan for rural Canada

  12-01-2026 15:02 via farms.com
  Canadians can provide feedback until Feb. 6
  
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• Cost-Share Intake Opens for Biological Inoculant and Biochar Testing

  12-01-2026 11:58 via farms.com
  Are you interested in testing biological inoculants or biochar on your farm? A new cost-share intake under the Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) launches in late January to support producers in implementing and monitoring these innovative practices.
  
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• U.S. Pork Exports Rise Mexico Leads Growth

  12-01-2026 11:44 via farms.com
  U.S. pork exports grew strongly in October led by record Mexico demand, while beef shipments improved from recent lows, showing stable global interest in American red meat products worldwide.
  
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• Key January data may reshape corn soybeans and wheat prices

  12-01-2026 11:35 via farms.com
  Farm markets showed mixed signals as experts reviewed USDA reports global tensions export trends and rising cattle prices while watching for possible yield cuts that could support grain futures.
  
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• U.S. Natural Gas Prices Rose in 2025

  12-01-2026 11:02 via farms.com
  U.S. natural gas prices rose strongly in 2025 due to higher winter demand, growing LNG exports, record production levels, and weather-driven market pressures across major trading hubs nationwide.
  
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• What’s Causing the Increase in Severe Lung Lesion Patterns in Pigs?

  12-01-2026 10:59 via farms.com
  A historically rare syndrome in pigs — a severe lung lesion pattern called diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) — is showing up in a growing number of submissions to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.DAD is most frequently observed as a syndrome in cattle, referred to as atypical interstitial pneumonia, which is associated with ingested toxins. Unlike cattle, DAD is poorly documented in pigs, with only rare reports of compatible lesions associated with porcine respi
  
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• SHIC Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity: Risk and Protective Factors for PRRSV Outbreaks

  12-01-2026 10:58 via farms.com
  As an outcome of the?Swine Health Information Center?Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, in partnership with the?Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research?and?Pork?Checkoff, a newly published paper in?Veterinary Sciences outlines risk and protective factors for PRRSV outbreaks identified?through an industry-wide biosecurity survey.??Utilizing a questionnaire to gather data, the?survey project completed in April 2025 reported biosecurity practices across 3,680 sites. In a second st
  
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• Lessons Learned from SHIC’s Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program to Date

  12-01-2026 10:57 via farms.com
  The Swine Health Information Center’s?Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program (SOIP) includes a downloadable Word-based form and a web-based application to conduct standardized outbreak investigations. The program and tools were developed in response to an industry need for consistency in data collection and results across different investigators, outbreaks, and farms. Prompted and funded by SHIC, the web-based application has been available for nearly two years after development by pr
  
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• Muller to retire from South Dakota Pork Producers Council

  12-01-2026 10:56 via farms.com
  Glenn Muller, executive director of the South Dakota Pork Producers Council has announced his retirement date of June 30. In his 15 years of dedicated and distinguished service, Muller has been an incredible asset and friend to those in the pork industry, as well as agriculture. The South Dakota Pork Produces Council wishes him all the best as he transitions into his well-earned retirement and extends heartfelt thanks for all his years of service.This week SDPPC announced the leadership vacancy
  
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• U.S. pork producers commend 2025 Dietary Guidelines

  12-01-2026 10:55 via farms.com
  The National Pork Producers Council applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA's release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which encourage Americans to "consumer a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat.""America's pork producers appreciate the 2025 Dietary Guidelines putting pork front and center on the plate. They took note of producer concerns and rightly gave pork and other high-protein, nutrien
  
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• Analysts’ view on place and time in the hog market

  12-01-2026 10:53 via farms.com
  Places are where hogs are produced. Time is flow of hogs to market. Both are important for projecting harvest numbers, gauging currentness of hog supplies and identifying regional supply and demand differences. A quarterback trying to complete a pass needs to consider a receiver’s location (place) and speed (time) to anticipate where the receiver will be. Similarly, pork producers can use place and time information to guide production and marketing decisions.The place aspect of hog market
  
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• New University of Illinois Vet Med program offers early acceptance of future food animal vets

  12-01-2026 10:51 via farms.com
  High-achieving students with an interest in food animal veterinary sciences will now have an expedited pathway for admission at the College of Veterinary Medicine (Vet Med) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A new program allows animal sciences majors to gain early acceptance at Vet Med if they maintain a 3.5 GPA, complete livestock-related courses and experiences, and plan to become food animal veterinarians.“It’s more important than ever for highly trained veterinarian
  
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• Lean hog futures slip as herd grows, caps rally- CME

  12-01-2026 10:47 via farms.com
  Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures on Tuesday touched their highest prices since October on strong cash prices and expectations that US supplies will remain tight this year, Reuters reported, citing analysts.Traders projected that Washington will continue to block US imports of Mexican cattle following recent detections of New world screwworm in animals in Mexico. The US has largely blocked imports of Mexican livestock since May 2025 in a bid to keep out the flesh-eating parasite."
  
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