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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 Dec. 6. The latest offer from Cargill included retroactive pay, signing bonuses, a 21 per cent wage increase over the…
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 Dec. 6.
The latest offer from Cargill included retroactive pay, signing bonuses, a 21 per cent wage increase over the life of the contract, and improved health benefits for employees.
Employees voted from December 2 to today, December 4.
In a statement, Jarrod Gillig, business operations and supply chain president for Cargill’s North American protein business, says, “Our employees in High River are important to Cargill’s work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. We are pleased to have reached an agreement that is comprehensive, fair, and reflective of their commitment to excellence at Cargill and the critical role they play in feeding families across Canada. As an organization that leads with our value to put people first, we truly believe this ratification is in the best interests of our employees and we are eager to move forward to build a stronger future – together.”
In a notice to members, the union says, “The contract is the best of its kind and presented unprecedented gains in this time of economic and political uncertainty and during the biggest health crisis the world has ever seen.”
The High River plant can process 4,500 cattle per day, accounting for around 36 per cent of Canada’s processing capacity.
Union reps add that the 2,500 employees at the JBS Plant at Brooks, Alta., are watching the Cargill precedent carefully as they head into bargaining for their new contract in the new year.
Not that this anecdote means anything to the markets, but Canadian farmers grew more corn than canola in 2021, thanks to record corn yields in Ontario and severe drought on…
Not that this anecdote means anything to the markets, but Canadian farmers grew more corn than canola in 2021, thanks to record corn yields in Ontario and severe drought on the Prairies.
Canola production for 2021 was pegged at 12.6 million tonnes, with corn coming in at 14.0 million tonnes, in Statistics Canada’s final crop estimates for the year, published on Friday.
While the canola number is down drastically from the 19 to 21.5 million tonne range of the last five years, it was in line with what the market was expecting.
The spring wheat production estimate from StatsCan was more surprising, coming in higher than anticipated at 16 million tonnes. The average pre-report trade guess was 14.7 million tonnes in a survey conducted by Intellifarm. (see tweet below)
The 14 million tonne corn estimate was driven by a provincial record-high 175.2 bu/ac average yield and 9.5 million tonnes of production in Ontario.
Soybean production was estimated at 6.3 million tonnes, down 5.6 per cent from last year, largely due to lower yields in Manitoba.
As for pulses, pea production fell 51 per cent from last year to 2.3 million tonnes. Lentil production was estimated at 1.6 million tonnes, down 44 per cent from last year.
Barley production, meanwhile, fell 35 per cent to 6.9 million tonnes in 2021, while oat production decreased by 43 per cent nationally to 2.6 million tonnes.
The report was based on a survey of approximately 27,200 farms, with representation from each province, and was conducted from October 8 to November 12, 2021. The estimates are still subject to revision for two years.
#statscan final production estimates for 2021.#canola as expected, spring #wheat higher than expected. #peas & #lentils lower than expected.#cdnag #westcdnag #marketing #riskmanagement pic.twitter.com/c55DYTVYVG
— IntelliFARM Inc (@IntelliFARMInc) December 3, 2021
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…
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 of BSE in a Canadian cow, stopping the movement of live sheep and goats over the age of 12 months.
Currently, only the importation of non-pregnant slaughter or feeder sheep under 12 months old from Canada, certain products from sheep and goats, and sheep and goat semen, are allowed into the U.S. from Canada.
Though sheep and goats do not carry BSE, they can be infected with a similar transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, scrapie.
“We are amending the regulations to remove BSE-related import restrictions on sheep and goats and most of their products because they are no longer warranted, and to add import restrictions related to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) for certain wild, zoological, or other non-bovine ruminant species because those animals pose a risk of introducing or spreading BSE or other TSEs,” APHIS says in its filing.
In the place of BSE-specific restrictions, the U.S. will establish a framework for evaluating “foreign regions and, as warranted, foreign flocks for scrapie status.” The framework may include: testing and establishing scrapie status, animal identification and traceability, record keeping for a specific period of time, and permitting.
The U.S. estimates the border re-opening will result in an annual net benefit of about US$15.1 million.
Fertilizer Canada and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) have come together with matching funding of $257,252 towards a soil health project that will provide Alberta grain, forage, and crop producers…
Fertilizer Canada and Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) have come together with matching funding of $257,252 towards a soil health project that will provide Alberta grain, forage, and crop producers with tangible results realized at the farm gate.
A multi-year soil health project led by Dr. Miles Dyck at the University of Alberta, will aim to contribute to Alberta’s efforts to fight climate change and promote responsible nutrient management.
The project will study the longer-term effects of sulphur and nitrogen management, nutrient cycling and its impact on soil health, forage, and grain productivity and quality. The project supports 4R nutrient stewardship — the right source, right rate, right time, and right placement of fertilizers.
Previous research on soil and fertilizers has only included one nutrient at a time. The proposed research will look at the effects of long-term management on soil nutrient stores and soil health, to better quantify the effects of short-term fertilizer applications on crop yields and soil health over different periods.
Outcomes from the study will be aimed at supporting producers’ combined sulphur and nitrogen management decisions for increased crop productivity, grain and forage quality, and improved soil health, says RDAR. Fertilizer management research can increase farm profitability for Alberta producers through increased returns on fertilizer investments and future increased marketability of sustainably produced crops.
CropLife Canada, the national trade association representing the manufacturers, developers, and distributors of plant science innovations, including pest control products and products of plant breeding innovations, has announced a new…
CropLife Canada, the national trade association representing the manufacturers, developers, and distributors of plant science innovations, including pest control products and products of plant breeding innovations, has announced a new chair of the board following its annual general meeting.
Bryce Eger, president of Corteva Agriscience Canada, is now chair of the CropLife Canada board of directors. Eger takes over the role from Al Driver, Country Division Head for Bayer CropScience. Driver will continue to serve on the board as past president.
RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney had the opportunity to catch up with Eger at the GrowCanada 2021 conference in Calgary, Alta., to discuss some of the key strategic priorities for CropLife Canada, as they come to the end of their current strategic plan.
One of the main focuses for CropLife Canada, says Eger, will be continuing to modernize and find efficiency in regulations and the way Canada looks at its regulatory environment.
“There’s sustainability, and it’s not just a buzzword. It’s something that we need to integrate into what we’re doing. Not 0nly take credit for what we’ve done, but also make sure that we’re continuing to advance sustainability,” Eger explains. “And then finally, thinking about how do we make sure that we look at all of the next generation technologies, and enable those to be used at the farm, and make sure that the ultimate end use consumers understand the importance of them.”
In order to be able to achieve the items on this list, having a consistent definition of sustainability will be key, says Eger.
“We’re going to have to continue to be very productive, we know that. But it’s under the umbrella of continuing down the sustainability path. I think that what needs to happen is an understanding of again, what that is, and making sure that we are still enabling all the technologies that are required for our farmers to be able to produce healthy, nutritious, affordable food.”
Check out the full conversation with Haney and Eger, including what avid reader Eger is reading these days, below: