Alberta’s agriculture minister is sharing new information regarding the cattle set-aside program that’s being rolled out to address the backlog of cattle as processing capacity has been limited by COVID-19. A couple of weeks ago, the Alberta government announced they would be providing provincial funding in addition to the federal AgriRecovery funds for the set-aside… Read More
The Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) has announced that its 2020 event, originally scheduled for April 1 and 2 and subsequently postponed, has now officially been cancelled. A statement from CDX says the final decision to cancel the Stratford, Ont., dairy industry showcase “was ultimately made by government and health officials with significant parameters around large-scale… Read More
There is no shortage of issues to discuss in the ag commodity complex, and our latest edition of RealAg LIVE! is here to cover the latest in market news, and answer everything you’re wondering regarding the futures. On this Thursday edition of RealAg LIVE!, host Shaun Haney is joined by Zaner Ag Hedge’s Chief Ag… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has created a temporary ministerial exemption process that opens the door to inter-provincial movement of meat and poultry products from establishments that are not federally-licensed. Normally, meat from provincially-inspected facilities is not allowed to be sold beyond a province’s boundary, but the federal agency is offering an exemption if… Read More
Manitoba-based pork producer and processor HyLife is expanding its processing capacity with the acquisition of a slaughter plant in the U.S. The company says it is partnering with Glen Taylor, and purchasing a 75 per cent equity stake in Prime Pork LLC from the Taylor Corporation. Prime Pork operates a recently-renovated processing plant at Windom,… Read More
Exports are so important to the Canadian beef industry, and early 2020 was shaping up to be a record year for global demand. Then, COVID-19 happened. Statistics Canada recently released the January to March numbers for Canadian beef exports, and as Brenna Grant, manager of research services for CanFax, explains, there is evidence of COVID-19… Read More
It has been a real struggle for meat packers to hold or build slaughter capacity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Not too long ago analysts thought slaughter levels would not increase to 80% of capacity until mid summer but in both Canada and the U.S., the weekly slaughter is climbing back faster than first thought. The… Read More
While announcing the details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to assist livestock and grain producers, U.S. President Donald Trump dropped a shocker on the North American cattle industry. “I read yesterday where we take some cattle in from other countries, we have trade deals. I think you should look at terminating those deals,”… Read More
When winter kill makes it tough to grow alfalfa, what can dairy producers turn to for a protein source for milking cows? Believe it or not, forage soybeans may be a fit. That choice is gaining popularity with dairy farmers in eastern Ontario. “It’s hard to beat good alfalfa from a protein-grown-on-the-farm standpoint, but the… Read More
Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister David Marit has announced $10 million in funding to help livestock producers manage the impacts of COVID-19 related market disruptions. $5 million will go towards Saskatchewan’s share of the costs associated with participation in the national AgriRecovery set-aside program announced by the federal government May 5. The federal government is covering 60%… Read More
It has been a very difficult two months for beef producers in Canada due to the COVID-19 market disruption, but they are not alone. At the centre of the plant shutdowns has been the packing plant workers, hundreds of whom have fallen ill or not known if it was really safe to go to work…. Read More
The last two months have been a roller coaster of shifting food demand, tanking farm-level prices, and closed processing plants as a result of COVID-19. As ranchers, feedlot operators, processors, and food retailers navigate the pandemic, tensions are high as some points in the value chain receive top prices while ranchers are hurting. Jayson Lusk,… Read More
Cargill’s Chambly, Que., processing facility is set to close later this week in an effort to stem a COVID-19 outbreak that has already seen over 60 employees test positive for the virus. With more than 550 employees, the positive cases represent about 13 per cent of employees at the plant. According to the union that… Read More
Since the fall of 2019, beef packer profits have received major attention by ranchers and feedyards. Much of the discussion started after the packing plant fire in Kansas, but has exploded recently due to the results of the COVID-19 pandemic. Packers have struggled to stay online due to COVID-19 cases related to the plant, and… Read More
Canada’s equine industry is asking the federal government to help protect the health and welfare of thousands of “working horses” as their owners struggle to cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this week the federal government pledged $252 million in various funding and credit programs aimed at agriculture. The announcement was met… Read More