A Conservative MP’s private member’s bill that aims to exempt propane and natural gas used on farms from the federal carbon tax was approved at second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday night. MPs from the Conservative, New Democrat, Bloc and Green parties voted in favour of Ontario MP Philip Lawrence’s Bill C-206,… Read More
Category: Livestock
An enterprising farmer is one that, in finding a gap in available equipment, decides simply to build their own. Such is the case with Korb Whale, of Clovermead Farms, and the biodigester setup on his farm. When the farm decided to pursue building a digester, there really wasn’t a turn-key option in Canada. Instead, Whale… Read More
One of the silver linings of COVID-19 is that it has shone a spotlight on Canadian farms and food production, says the federal agriculture minister. Marie-Claude Bibeau joined Shaun Haney for Canada’s Agriculture Day to highlight the event and discuss several key agriculture policy files. Bibeau also delivered the opening remarks at Agriculture More Than… Read More
The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) held its annual general meeting virtually last week. During the event, the producer group handed out awards and held elections for the board. Of note, Kim Jo Bliss was elected to fill a vacant seat as director at-large for a one-year term. Bliss farms near Emo, Ont.., where she has… Read More
Custom hay operators and large hay producers can add higher baling capacity with Krone North America’s three new Generation 5 BiG Pack large square balers. This latest generation of large square balers from Krone come with several new features and benefits, such as improved Variable Fill System (VFS) which the company says allows for easier… Read More
Meat and Poultry Ontario (MPO) is launching a project to identify opportunities to increase meat processing capacity in Ontario. The $127,000 project, funded through the federal/provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is aimed at addressing a growing demand for abattoir services across the province, including the north. MPO has begun researching a strategy that pairs skills development with… Read More
Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has announced that its FarmCash Advance Payments Program, previously only available in Alberta, will now be available to producers in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, beginning March 15, 2021. FarmCash has provided Alberta producers of over 50 ag commodities — including major crops, livestock, and honey — with another option to… Read More
Need a certain wrench in the middle of a field? Call a drone. Lost a shear pin? Call a drone. Finished your lunch in the cab and it’s only 10 am? Call a drone. Or more likely, just open the app or your phone’s virtual assistant and order that second lunch. Okay, it may be… Read More
Paul Lofgren has been appointed president and CEO of DeLaval by the Tetra Laval Group. The decision follows Joakim Rosengren stepping down from the position after 18 years with DeLaval, and 35 years with the Tetra Laval Group. Lofgren, served as the executive vice president for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa clusters of DeLaval,… Read More
Olymel has temporarily closed its hog slaughtering, cutting, and deboning plant at Red Deer, Alberta. “Despite the testing protocols and sanitary measures already in place, as well as the close collaboration of Alberta Health Services to deal with a resurgence of positive cases of COVID-19 among plant employees, Olymel management believes that the conditions are… Read More
At least six commercial hog producers in Alberta are advocating for reducing pig production in the province to pressure processors to change how animals are priced. The group met with Alberta Pork’s board of directors and staff last week to discuss their proposal to cut production, and to determine where the provincial organization stands on… Read More
While there are people on social media trying to cast a shadow on the quality and safety of Canadian butter due to a perceived change in its melting point, industry experts say butter consistency, cheese texture, and the composition of milk change every year — and throughout the year — based on ration changes of the… Read More
You’ve maybe heard of, or like our host Shaun Haney have had the chance to visit an anaerobic biodigester facility, but generally the information out there is few and far between. Coming at the livestock and manure management from another angle, our guest for today’s RealAg LIVE! is Jennifer Green of the Canadian Biogas Association…. Read More
The theories range from “evil” American milk making its way into Canada, to mistreatment of cows or mysterious supplements fed to cows, to enzyme activity; but any sort of factual explanation for why some Canadians are saying butter has either changed consistency at room temperature or changed in flavour since August 2020 remains a mystery…. Read More
Meet Paul Klaesi of Fepro Farms near Cobden, Ont., a pioneer in cold weather biogas generation. Klaesi and his family came to a Canadian dairy farm from Switzerland in 1990. At the time, Klaesi had been looking into biogas generation, but shelved the idea while he built the farm in Canada. By 2000, he felt the… Read More