Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau this week announced an over $8 million contribution to the Canadian beef industry. “Our Government is proud to be working with industry to ensure Canada’s beef sector remains a strong driver of our nation’s prosperity and continues creating good jobs for our middle class,” says Bibeau. “This investment… Read More
Sollio Agriculture, the rebranded agriculture branch of La Coop fédérée, and Olymel L.P have announced plans to purchase pork producer F. Ménard. The Quebec-based fully integrated pork company employs over 1,200 people, and its activities range from genetics to marketing, by way of animal feed, breeding, slaughtering, and primary and further processing. The company has… Read More
The Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) are prepping for the second year of its innovation award, and according to a news release, they have “millions of kilograms of chicken available for successful applicants.” The award is designed to help bring new Ontario chicken products to consumers’ plates. “Chicken continues to be the top choice for… Read More
Citing the lack of moisture over the past few months, the Manitoba Government has announced it will be allowing livestock producers to temporarily let their livestock graze, and cut hay on Crown land not typically used for agriculture. “Under certain circumstances, Crown land can be made available for agricultural use,” the statement reads. According to… Read More
Lameness is the dairy industry’s leading and most visible animal welfare concern. It’s also among the top three health challenges, along with mastitis and reproductive problems. Veterinarian Dr. Laura Solano, dairy cattle extension specialist at Calgary, Alberta-based Farm Animal Care Associates, says that despite the negative impacts to lameness, studies show that 15 to 30… Read More
Dairy Distillery, the Almonte, Ont.-based processor turning waste milk sugar into vodka, recently received an Excellence in Agriculture award from the province. Made from milk permeate, a byproduct of milk processing, Dairy Distillery’s Vodkow product was launched in 2018. Most milk permeate is currently disposed of, at a cost to dairy farmers. “Ontario’s agri-food sector… Read More
Earlier this year, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) informed the government it would no longer be carrying out animal welfare law enforcement. The announcement has spurred the need for an overhaul of Ontario’s Ontario Animal Protection Act, but also left a gap between the current set up and the… Read More
The Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) have announced Carson Callum is stepping in to fill the vacant general manager position. Callum grew up on a mixed grain and beef farm in southern Manitoba. He previously worked with Corteva Agriscience as their market manager for grains and oilseeds. Callum has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in agriculture… Read More
The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food along with the Minister of International Trade Diversification met with leaders of various Canadian pork and meat organizations earlier this week to discuss the latest in trade woes with China. “We are working closely with farmers, industry, provinces and exporters to restore market access to China as quickly as… Read More
The debate surrounding what should be considered meat — and what isn’t — continues to spark conversation across the food industry. What are plant-based burgers, such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, actually made of? Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor at the University of California-Davis, was a guest on AgriTalk last week where he shared… Read More
First introduced to Canada in the 1980s as a diversification option, wild hog populations outside of farmed production have been steadily climbing. Wild hogs that escaped from farms or were released from enclosures when businesses shut down have done very well in Saskatchewan — so well that it’s estimated descendants of those original hogs now… Read More
Retiring alfalfa fields used to be a simple process. Conventional tillage farmers would just drop the mouldboard plow in the fall, while those under a minimum tillage system would rely on a glyphosate burndown before planting a new crop the following spring. With the introduction of glyphosate tolerant (GT) alfalfa, however, glyphosate is no longer… Read More
While some rainfall has returned to very dry areas of the Prairies, many ranchers have already made some tough calls on downsizing herds and flocks to conserve what grass is available for grazing and winter feed. Taking the pressure off existing pasture and hay ground is a smart move to make early. Janice Bruynooghe, of… Read More
Though there is still much to know about prions and prion diseases, we’ve come a long way since the first case found of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a domestic cow in Canada, and the launch of the Alberta Prion Research Institute. “I think we have come quite a ways,” says Kevin Keough, executive director… Read More
Just days before the G20 Osaka Summit is set to take place, China has banned all Canadian meat exports. According to the Chinese Embassy in Canada, the investigation into last week’s Ractopamine findings “revealed that the official veterinary health certificates attached to the batch of pork exported to China were counterfeit” and reflects “obvious safety… Read More