The advent of a global pandemic certainly added volume to the narrative that local equals resilient when it comes to economies, especially food-related economic systems. But Jayson Lusk, food and agricultural economist at Purdue University, says that evidence suggests otherwise, and that a vibrant trade economy actually adds resiliency to local economies. To demonstrate his point,… Read More
The governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing $1.5 million for Manitoba Egg Farmers (MEF) to establish the Egg Layer Research and Public Engagement Facility at the University of Manitoba’s (UM) Glenlea Research Station. Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Ralph Eichler made the announcement on October 8, in honour of World Egg Day. “I… Read More
Over the next year, Walmart Canada will source 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from CRSB Certified sustainable farms and ranches. To qualify, farmers and ranchers must be certified through a third-party audited system, in accordance with sustainability standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). Walmart says this is just the first commitment,… Read More
Maple Leaf Foods says it has completed a $182 million expansion at its prepared meats plant in Winnipeg, Man., creating a “Bacon Centre of Excellence.” The 73,000 square-foot addition to the facility on Lagimodiere Boulevard will significantly increase the company’s capacity for making pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon. “We are very excited to see this project come… Read More
New research suggests that a vaccine for African swine fever virus could be available soon. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced Sept 30 that a vaccine candidate for the highly contagious hog disease has been shown to prevent and effectively protect European- and Asian-bred swine against the currently circulating Asian… Read More
How many calves are left for the fall run? The answer could be more than usual; however, with the dry conditions in 2021, it’s also possible the very early start to the run means there are fewer calves left to come to town. The answer to where the fall run volume — and prices —… Read More
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its September 1 Cattle on Feed report Friday afternoon. According to the report, feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head with cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market totalled 11.2 million head as of September 1, 2021. Year over year, the inventory is… Read More
The Herrema family have been giving back since Gary Herrema emigrated from Holland to farming country in Ontario’s Durham Region in 1949. The Uxbridge, Ont. farm family has always been active in local fairs, farm and community groups, and municipal politics. They also believe investing in their soil is vital for the health of their… Read More
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) has announced the participants in the 2021-22 Beef Researcher Mentorship program. Following an open application process, four researchers from across Canada were selected: Dr. Gleise Medeiros da Silva, who recently joined the faculty at the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta as an… Read More
Farmers and ranchers in the drought-affected areas of Ontario will have an opportunity to access up to $15,000 per farm for well drilling and pond construction projects. Applications for the Northwestern Ontario Drought Assistance Initiative will open later in September through Agricorp. The program will be retroactive to June 14, 2021. Ontario will provide up… Read More
Ontario Sheep Farmers recently updated several online resources for its membership, including a new version of the price and profit predictability tools. OSF created this farm management tool in partnership with the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and recently assumed ownership and administrative duties of the resource to ensure… Read More
I am going to tell you a story. It’s a story that probably will leave your mouth agape and thinking, “People wouldn’t actually do that, would they?” But I assure you, this story is true. Last Wednesday, our employee at our second solar grazing site (about 1.25 hour drive from the home farm) texted to… Read More
This week was a bit of a wild ride in the markets following the JBS fire that occured in Granville Island, Nebraska. The plant — that has the capacity to process 6,000 head of cattle a day — is now back up and running, but it has many asking “how does this impact the cattle… Read More
Four U.S. senators are attempting to answer the call to fix “broken” cattle markets in the country, with new legislation to restore mandatory country of origin labelling. Greg Henderson of Drover’s says he’s not entirely sure how it’s going to work, as mCOOL, as it is called, was eliminated after a lengthy World Trade Organization… Read More
Those in Western Canada looking for hay and those in other areas willing to supply hay for the Hay West 2021 initiative can now access a web portal to connect. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has launched HayWest2021.net where individuals and businesses can enter the pertinent details of their situation and await word. The program… Read More