Manitoba’s newest slaughter plant is up and running, although the facility north of Carman is still waiting for the stamp that would make it the first federally-inspected plant in the province with significant beef capacity in three decades. True North Foods is currently processing 80 to 100 head of cattle and bison per week, with… Read More

The Canadian dairy sector’s problem with too much skim milk supply could get worse if the Trans-Pacific Partnership becomes reality, according to analysis done by Al Mussell and his colleagues at Agri-Food Economic Systems. Milk, in simple terms, consists of butterfat and skim milk, with Canada’s dairy quota production system based on demand for butterfat. As… Read More

After saying good-bye to three senior field crop specialists in the last year, Ontario’s agriculture ministry has hired three individuals to fill the corn, cereal crop and canola/edible bean vacancies. Joanna Follings is joining the Agriculture Development Branch as the Cereals Specialist, replacing Peter Johnson (who joined RealAg as resident agronomist). Follings, who holds a MSc…. Read More

Uncertainty goes hand in hand with change, and so after almost a decade of Conservative government, the shift to a Liberal majority in Ottawa brings with it plenty of questions, including questions about the future of Canadian agriculture (in no particular order): Who’s going to be the next ag minister? The Liberals have several ag veterans returning to… Read More

Advancements in genetic selection and nutrition are unlocking the potential to improve beef cattle feed efficiency by up to 20 percent, says a beef research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Whether it’s on a cow/calf operation or in a feedlot, managing feed costs is a critical part of the business. Susan Markus, in the… Read More

Canada’s pork sector is welcoming the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, specifically the market access the trade deal would provide into Japan. “While we look forward to seeing additional details in texts that become available in coming days, based on what was announced, the CPC strongly supports Canada participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” said Canadian… Read More

G3 Canada — the grain company formed with Bunge and SALIC’s acquisition of the former Canadian Wheat Board — is building a new grain terminal in Hamilton to source grains and oilseeds from Ontario. “Grain exports from southern Ontario have been increasing for some time now. We look forward to expanding our relationship with farmers in… Read More

The federal government has promised $4.3 billion to compensate the supply-managed dairy and poultry sectors for concessions made in the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal announced this week, but for chicken farmers, a coinciding decision by Ottawa to close import loopholes for chicken is seen as more important than the compensation. Mike Dungate, executive director of Chicken Farmers of Canada,… Read More

Considering opening up supply management was described by some countries as Canada’s price of admission into the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the result of the TPP negotiations announced on Monday was a “best case scenario,” according to the head of Dairy Farmers of Canada. After spending the last week in Atlanta for the final round of TPP talks,… Read More

“Canada reaches TPP trade deal, will pay out $4.3 billion to farmers” “Harper hails TPP, promises $4.3 billion to protect farmers” “Harper promises $4.3B for dairy farmers” Dairy and poultry farmers across Canada may have been disappointed to see the federal government open the border to more imports in the Trans-Pacific Partnership announcement on Monday,… Read More

After more than five years of negotiations, trade ministers and negotiators in Atlanta announced the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal on Monday morning. Negotiations continued into the night on Sunday, delaying a joint news conference that was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon. According to New Zealand’s trade minister, negotiations on dairy trade only ended… Read More

A U.S. government agency has identified what it believes is the most likely way the devastating PED virus entered the country and infected millions of pigs. The findings are both surprising and a reminder that biosecurity plans must be thorough. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considered 17 plausible scenarios that could explain how PED and similar… Read More

Statistics Canada has raised its production estimates for wheat and canola, but there’s a good chance the final numbers after harvest will be higher, according to the head of ProFarmer Canada. The September StatsCan estimates, based on a survey of 9,300 farms conducted between September 3 and 13, were released on Friday morning. The all-wheat estimate of… Read More

 

Register for a RealAgriculture account to manage your Shortcut menu instead of the default.

Register