“What does someone who raises cattle look like?” Adrienne Ivey, a Saskatchewan cattle rancher, stood in front of a TEDx audience in Regina recently and asked this question. Soon after, she openly admitted to some pretty shocking things — like running a corporate farm, using growth implants in cattle, and even using antibiotics. She also… Read More
Category: Livestock
As farmers in Western Canada are working hard at seeding across the Prairies, many ranchers are branding and taking stock on the quality of the spring 2018 calf crop. Also on the minds of many ranchers on the southern half of the Prairies: pasture conditions and what the bleak spring moisture outlook could mean for… Read More
There is an expectation that when the North American Free Trade Agreement talks resume as early as Monday, dairy access could be a higher priority in the talks. Recently, U.S. lawmakers wrote a letter to trade representative Robert Lighthizer to remind the administration of the desired changes to U.S. dairy access into Canada. In the… Read More
The former president of Agropur has been appointed as the new CEO of the Canadian Dairy Commission. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Thursday announced Serge Riendeau’s appointment to a three-year term, effective May 14th. Riendeau will oversee the Crown corporation that coordinates federal and provincial dairy policies, and administers the regulatory system designed to… Read More
“Hello, I’m calling on behalf of Statistics Canada. Would you have time…” It’s a familiar phone call for most Canadian farmers when StatsCan conducts its surveys for estimating crop and livestock production statistics across the country. The inconvenience of having to spend the time on the phone, combined with not wanting to share information about what’s… Read More
The news After program changes were introduced to the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program for January 1, 2017, the government launched a review last fall into how the adapted program was working. Based on feedback received from the concluded review, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will soon release updates to the… Read More
It’s been 30 years since a fledgling organization called the Ontario Farm Animal Council began working to counter the efforts of activists opposed to animal agriculture in Ontario. After three decades, which included a name change and an amalgamation with AgCare, a like-minded farm organization concerned about resources and environmental stewardship, Farm & Food Care… Read More
At issue Ontario is set to introduce new rules and regulations as of July 1, 2018, regarding requirements for livestock rabies vaccination. All animals that will interact with the public will be required to maintain up-to-date vaccinations. Why is this a concern? Rabies isn’t fun, you guys. But also, the changes to rabies immunization requirements for… Read More
The issue The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) has submitted a petition to the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), asking that labeling rules exclude certain products from being called ‘beef’ or ‘meat’. The group is asking that ‘meat’ only be used as a descriptor for products derived directly from animals… Read More
When you cross the Canada/U.S. border headed south, the landscape is the same, the time zone is the same, but the economics of dairy are very different. Canadians in agriculture are familiar with our domestic supply management system that aims to match supply of dairy products to demand. This control of supply through a quota… Read More