Thanksgiving with a difference

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry Siemens(Editor’s Note: I was supposed to post this on Monday – Sorry Harry)

Thanksgiving Day in Canada, Monday, Oct. 9 is a time to celebrate. For most producers, the last two years have been tough. For some, it goes back even further than that, but with this year’s crops, for the most part, bursting grain bins at the seams, it’s time to sit back and celebrate. Yes, I know the people raising hogs are having their struggles, too, but you want to know something, keep on trucking.

International

Senator Frist in Iraq

Chuck Zimmerman

Senator Bill FristHere’s the lastest story from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq. In this one he speaks with U.S. Senator Bill Frist on his first visit to Iraq where he toured a prosthetics lab, the sprawling “tent city” field hospital at the Balad Air Base, and met with President Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Audio, International

Army Officer Has a Heart for Farming

Chuck Zimmerman

Ltc. Chris JohnsonHere’s the lastest story from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq. In this one he talks with Lieutenant Colonel Chris Johnson who works as one of the deputies to the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Diyala province.

Audio, International

Iraq Meat Markets

Chuck Zimmerman

Iraq Meat MarketHere’s the lastest story from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq. I really appreciate what he’s doing and the look at agriculture in a country like Iraq. This time he visits a meat market.

Audio, International

Vaccines Winning the War

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensThe introduction of two new vaccines has helped turn the tide in the battle in Canada to contain a potentially deadly condition that’s taken a huge toll on swineherds around the world.

Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD), previously called Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS), is a viral disease that typically affects young pigs, weanlings, from eight to 16 weeks of age. However, symptoms tend to manifest themselves in the grower phase and the disease is often fatal. The disease, first characterized in western Canada in 1995 became widespread worldwide since then.

International

Interest in Liquid Feeding

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensA swine nutritionist with the University of Guelph credits a dramatic increase in liquid byproducts from biofuel and food processing for an increased interest in liquid feeding in Ontario. With liquid feeding systems, feed is prepared in a central mixing tank then pumped through lines to individual troughs where the pigs can consume it.

International

A Celebration indeed!

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensLast Sunday I attended an event in the City of Winkler [Manitoba Canada] Park that thrilled me. Why, because I witnessed, participated with, experienced the thrill of celebration like I haven’t seen in a while with over 2,000 new Canadian immigrants, mostly from Germany.

International

A Date Palm Festival in Iraq

Chuck Zimmerman

Iraq Date Palm FarmI really think these reports from Paul McKellips, US Department of State, Public Affairs GO Team on assignment in Iraq, are fascinating. It’s helping provide a behind the scenes look at agriculture in a country where we’re getting almost nothing but political spin news from the mainstream press. This story is about the revival of the date palm farm business in Iraq.

Audio, International

Small Rural Communities Join Forces

Chuck Zimmerman

The Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation is encouraging small rural communities to join forces and work as regions as one way of empowering their local leadership. Last month the Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation released a study entitled ‘Identify a Process for Effective Rural Economic Development’. The report features an analysis of historical and future macro trends in rural regional population in North America …

International