According to the dictionary, a sin tax is “a tax on items considered undesirable or harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco.” There is mounting pressure from activist groups to add animal proteins to that list of so-called “sinful” items. They argue meat creates added healthcare costs and negative impacts on the environment. It might sound… Read More

Chicken Farmers of Canada says it is welcoming Alberta producers back to the flock after the province withdrew from the national agreement that determines how much production each province is allocated under the national supply management system for chicken. CFC says it has a new federal-provincial agreement “in hand” after the Farm Products Council of… Read More

McDonald’s has announced that they are “elevating [their] global commitment to source chickens raised with improved welfare outcomes”. It’s a topic that has been on the company’s radar for decades, according to Bruce Feinberg, senior director at McDonald’s, responsible for Global Quality Systems for chicken, beef, pork, fish and dairy products. “Shortly after I joined McDonald’s in… Read More

Chicken Farmers of Canada has named its replacement for outgoing executive director Mike Dungate. Michael Laliberté has been hired to lead the national chicken producer organization’s 25-member staff. Laliberté is very familiar with CFC, having worked for the organization for 26 years, most recently as director of operations. “The Board of Directors undertook a robust,… Read More

We might be hearing more about plant-based protein and meatless burgers in headlines, but when we look around the world, demand for animal-based protein — meat — is still climbing. In this podcast we connect with Carlos Saviani, the vice president of food sustainability with the World Wildlife Fund. You might say he brings a… Read More

No one has to tell University of Guelph agricultural economics master’s student Travis Jansen that farmers like him are well-advised to listen to consumers. But he’s doing more than just listening to them – he’s set to learn from them, too. Jansen, who comes from a family hog farm near Seaforth, knows successful farmers have… Read More

My daughter and grandson share the same birthday, August 7. They’re part of a pork-and-grain farming operation near Thamesville. At their birthday celebration on the weekend, our family barbequed pork sausage from their farm on the campfire. There was no reason to doubt the quality of the sausage. We trust the meat packers in nearby… Read More

Nutreco says it has completed its purchase of Hi-Pro Feeds, and along with the acquisition, is moving its North American animal nutrition business under the name Trouw Nutrition. The Dutch company’s animal nutrition business operates internationally under the Trouw Nutrition brand, with the exception of North America, where Nutreco also operates as Shur-Gain and Landmark… Read More

Count pastured chicken production as another frontier for automation and robotics in agriculture. With demand for pastured chicken rising rapidly, Manitoba farmer Daniel Badiou, through his startup Ukko Robotics, has started manufacturing automated mobile chicken coops. That’s right. They’re basically robots for raising chickens outside. “Every day it will move by itself, and it can all… Read More

Manitoba’s new government is planning to remove what it calls “impractical and costly” regulations to make it easier to build barns and farm buildings and bring the province’s farm building code in line with rules in other Western Canadian provinces. Speaking at Keystone Ag Producers’ annual meeting in Winnipeg last week, Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced… Read More