The Dairy Direct Payment Program is set to begin sending out a total of $469 million to dairy producers across Canada. The program is a $1.75 billion compensation package for dairy producers for market access concessions made under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific… Read More
Former federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller has passed away at the age of 66. Speller (above left) was named Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food by Prime Minister Paul Martin in December 2003, during the Canadian cattle industry’s BSE crisis. He passed away on Dec. 16 at a care facility near Waterford, Ontario, following an illness. “Bob was… Read More
We don’t have to say it twice: it’s been a frustrating year for many involved in the cattle community. As Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange explains in our latest Beef Market Update, the impacts of the 2021 drought won’t easily be forgotten, and and it’s not something that’s just going to go away…. Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an 8 and a half year old beef cow on a farm in Alberta. The CFIA notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the discovery — the first in Canada since 2015 — on December 17. The finding will… Read More
Looming vaccination mandates that are set to apply to truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border in January are already affecting cross-border supply chains, according to several speakers at the annual Fields on Wheels Conference hosted by the University of Manitoba. The Canadian government says it will require all truckers entering the country to be vaccinated by… Read More
Tyson Foods Inc. has announced plans to spend more than US$1.3 billion to increase automation in meat plants, over the next three years. Announced at Tyson Foods’ virtual Investor Day, the productivity initiative aims to reduce labour costs and associated risks, and ultimately deliver cumulative savings — upwards of $450 million by fiscal year 2024…. Read More
Raymond and Tracey Bredenhof, of R&T Poultry and Bredenhof Hops at Abbotsford, B.C. are one of the two winners chosen as Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2021. The Bredenhofs operate a 40,000 broiler per cycle chicken operation in the Fraser Valley. Poultry farms are quite common for their area, but what’s less common is growing… Read More
In November, John Barlow, MP for Foothills, was re-named to the position as the Conservatives’ shadow minister for agriculture. Among Barlow’s current priorities is the attention — or lack thereof — that country-of-origin labelling (COOL) is currently getting in Ottawa. As the conversations grow in strength with a bipartisan bill in the U.S. senate surrounding… Read More
Minister of Agriculture for British Columbia Lana Popham says that despite the absolute devastation of the last three weeks, dairy production for the province is back to 100 per cent. Poultry production is running about about 90 per cent capacity, and the egg industry is status quo as it was less impacted by the mid-November… Read More
It would seem that there’s one thing Peter Johnson can count on from his loyal listeners: a stern finger wagging when he’s got something all wrong. Such is the case with last week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, where Johnson had the audacity to say manure was anything but magical. Have no fear, dear listeners,… Read More
UFCW Local 401 says its members who work at Cargill’s High River beef processing plant have voted 71 per cent in favour of the most recent agreement offered by Cargill, averting a strike or lockout that was set to begin December 6. The latest offer from Cargill included retroactive pay, signing bonuses, a 21 per… Read More
In this week’s Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange breaks down the beef markets, including what’s going on in the U.S., whether or not their tides have permanently turned for choice cut-outs and choice select prices, and how western Canadian numbers are faring in comparison. The U.S. didn’t take a lot… Read More
Designed and manufactured in the U.S., the Herd-Boss is meant for feeding bulk rations to livestock with minimal stopping or cleaning out, efficiently covering more ground. Cameron Mulder of Herd-Boss Feeders says that whether it’s a total mixed ration for cattle, or by-product of something from ethanol plants for example, the Herd-Boss will make feeding… Read More
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is set to publish a new rule that will allow the importation of live goat, sheep, and other ruminants, 30 days from December 12, 2021, provided they meet new regulatory requirements. The existing rule has been in effect following the 2003 finding… Read More
Many Canadian beef cow-calf operators are not just surviving, they’re thriving. That’s one of the key takeaways from the first report produced by the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network, which was established in the spring of 2021. Made up of cow-calf operations from across Canada, the network of producers is working with Canfax Research Services… Read More