Frontline essential workers, including those in the food processing sector, will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in the next round of immunizations, says Ontario’s premier Doug Ford. In late December, Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) and the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association along with the Canadian Meat Council, Meat and Poultry Ontario, Food and Beverage Ontario, Ontario… Read More
Category: Livestock
It’s the early days of 2021, but we’re hoping for a great year in the beef markets. Will that be the case? Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange says although we are are off to a bit of a slow start, the futures market is telling us change is coming. Markets are in what… Read More
The pandemic has affected the global economy in a broad sense, and there’s a lot of ground to recover from 2020. To help us get a sense of where 2021 is heading in terms of agricultural economics, Bernard Tobin is joined by Craig Klemmer, principle agricultural economist at Farm Credit Canada, who recently presented at… Read More
While the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been slower in Canada than in the U.S. and the UK, questions also still remain on how each province will decide who receives the vaccine and when. As previously reported by RealAgiculture, the Canadian Meat Council and other agri-food industry groups have been lobbying for meat workers to… Read More
In agriculture, we thrive off of competition. The buying and selling of commodities is what we do. However, there are many different markets out there that one can explore. Stewart Skinner, hog farmer from Listowel, Ont., raises his pigs for more of a niche market than many. There are three different markets that he and… Read More
Not long ago, we posed the question: if you could choose a celebrity to rep agriculture, who would it be? Former NHLer and host of Spittin’ Chiclets podcast Paul Bissonette didn’t make the list, but McDonald’s Canada clearly had him in its sights. I’ve teamed up with @mcdonaldscanada to bring you this 4-minute beef sustainability… Read More
Corn rootworm, manure, and soybeans — farmers don’t often hear those three words in the same sentence but we’ve come to expect the unexpected in 2020. With growing resistance to corn rootworm traits in Ontario, many farmers who typically plant continuous corn will look to control the pest by expanding rotations to include soybeans. But… Read More
Cargill’s Better Beef processing plant at Guelph is set to re-open December 29, after closing at the end of day December 17, due to increasing COVID-19 infections within staff and the community population. A spokesperson for Cargill says the company plans to re-open the Guelph-Dunlop primary beef facility on Tuesday, after “careful deliberations among Cargill… Read More
There’s trouble brewing in the mountains and the foothills, as a recent policy change by Alberta’s government puts significant grazing land and water sources at risk, according to ranchers. In June, the Alberta government quietly rescinded a coal mining policy, shocking ranchers in southwestern Alberta. Laura Laing and John Smith, who own Plateau Cattle Co.,… Read More
Goat producers, or those involved in the goat industry, are invited to offer comments on the draft Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Goats, from now until February 22, 2021. Compiled by the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and the Canadian National Goat Federation (CNGF), the new codes for the care… Read More
Updated story: Details of the program are now listed on Agricorp’s website The governments of Canada and Ontario have committed $5 million in immediate, emergency assistance for the province’s beef farmers through funding for feeding costs associated with market-ready cattle that must be set-aside due to COVID-19-related processing disruptions. Last Thursday, Cargill’s Better Beef plant… Read More
Stewart Skinner, hog farmer from Listowel, Ont., (who you may have heard before on a Farmer Rapid Fire or two), joins us for today’s LIVE! Don’t miss a new LIVE! every weekday at 3 pm E on social media! SUMMARY Happy Friday! Stewart and his wife raise hogs just outside of Listowel. Does things a… Read More
Two of the largest dairy processors in Canada have announced a deal that will see several yogurt brands change hands. Lactalis Canada, the company formerly known as Parmalat, has signed an agreement to acquire Agropur Cooperative’s Canadian yogurt business, which includes the Iögo and Iögo Nanö yogourt brands, as well as the Olympic yogurt, sour… Read More
Cargill has announced it has begun the process to temporarily idle its Guelph protein processing facility, due to “community-wide” impacts of COVID-19. The plant will close end of day December 17 for an undisclosed amount of time. Currently, the plant has had 68 employees test positive for the virus out of 1,000 employees. A spokesperson… Read More
Scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Western University have teamed up with PlantForm Corporation to develop an edible antibody therapeutic that will protect human and animal health by preventing E.coli 0157 infection in pigs. The $150,000, two-year project is supported by OMAFRA through the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative, which is fed by the five-year,… Read More