For generations, if you wanted protein in your diet, consumers would dive into a steak, pork tenderloin, or chicken breast. With the benefit of venture capital and technology several food innovators are pushing the envelope in the development of synthetic or cell-cultured proteins. It looks like a chicken breast, it tastes like a chicken breast… Read More
The Government of Canada has published revisions to the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR). The regulations come into force one year from publication, on February 1, 2020. While the advent of revamped regulations is not unexpected — there has been a significant amount of consultation on the proposed changes — the timing of the final… Read More
Ontario’s provincial government, in partnership with the federal government, has announced updates to the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. The compensation program was significantly changed under the previous Liberal provincial government, leading to a dramatic increase in rejected claims, higher fees, and much longer wait times to receive approved compensation. After consulting with farmers and… Read More
How far have we come in 30 years of plant breeding and agronomic knowledge? Well, in this edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson reflects back on corn and soybean yield averages for Ontario and the gains may surprise you. What about wheat? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out if we’ve made… Read More
Maple Leaf Foods has announced plans to spend $660 million to build a new, 640,000 square foot fresh poultry processing facility at London, Ont., and to invest in projects that “accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing and production technologies.” Those investments support the company’s goal of reducing its environmental footprint by 50 per cent by 2025. The… Read More
Many of us are full-fledged carnivores, but fewer and fewer Canadians are cutting into a barbecued steak. That’s the conclusion of a new Dalhousie University study looking at Canadian attitudes toward plant-based protein alternatives. According to the study, 6.4 million Canadians say they are limiting the amount of meat they eat, and the number will likely… Read More
The 25-year-old trade deal known as NAFTA is no more. As of Sunday night, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement know as USMCA was born. So what does this mean for producers? Let us break it down for you… Increased market access for American dairy farmers So far, market access into the Canadian dairy sector has been… Read More
Most livestock producers are aware that significant changes are coming to how they’ll access antibiotic medication for animals as of December 1, 2018. Beginning then, several commonly used antibiotic medications (especially those important for human medicine) will no longer be available through your feed or animal supply store, instead being accessible only through your veterinarian…. Read More
The Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFOC) have introduced a new Young Farmers Program, with the aim of connecting the younger generation of chicken producers with others like them across Canada. Selected participants will gain valuable experience to help with their personal farm operation along with knowledge on how to use the various tools available in… Read More
Quebec-based agri-food cooperative La Coop fédérée is buying into Ontario’s animal feed industry. La Coop has announced a deal to purchase a 50 percent stake in W-S Feed & Supplies Limited, an animal nutrition company that operates feed mills in Tavistock and Mount Forest, Ontario. “This investment represents a strategic entry into the Ontario market, in… Read More
Maple Leaf Foods (MLF) is spending $28 million to transitioning the company’s Edmonton poultry processing plant to a “world-class controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) technology facility.” The company plans to convert is transportation, receiving and holding area and handling systems to optimize rest time and create a climate-controlled environment as it implements the CAS technology, the… Read More
Questions are being raised about the connection between wild ducks in Ontario, an emerging avian virus, and egg production drop in a turkey breeder flock in the province. A research team, including Ontario Veterinary College pathobiology professor Claire Jardine, found 22 per cent of almost 400 live wild ducks sampled from 23 Ontario lakes tested… Read More
The news Kicking off the Ontario portion of his cross-country summer tour, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced $844,000 for Egg Farmers of Ontario at a farm in St. Ann’s on Tuesday. The funds will be used to assist in the development of an electronic scan to determine the gender and fertility of… Read More
Quebec-based pork and poultry processor Olymel has announced a deal to acquire all the shares in Pinty’s Delicious Foods, a poultry processing company in Ontario that specializes in chicken wings, boneless wings, fillets and fully cooked food products. Pinty’s operates three processing facilities, in Port Colborne, Paris, and Oakville, with headquarters in Burlington. The company… Read More
Nearly all of Canada’s international trade negotiations, at some point, involve discussions about the future of supply management for our dairy and poultry sectors. We’ve heard the U.S. dairy industry push hard against the supply management system for dairy in NAFTA 2.0 talks, especially Canada’s new class 7 pricing. Some Canadians cheer this U.S. rhetoric… Read More