PARMA, Idaho — Allan Huttema has operated dairy farms on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Near Chilliwack, B.C., he owned a dairy established by his grandfather who emigrated from Holland after the Second World War. He bought the farm from his father in the early 1990s. “The system was good for us. It provided […] Read more
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The word is Class; the number is 7
MERIDIAN, Idaho — One word and one number form the crux of the dairy stumbling block in ongoing negotiations for a new North American Free Trade Agreement. Class 7, Canada’s recently developed pricing policy for milk protein concentrates, has reduced American milk exports to Canada at a time when U.S. milk prices are low and […] Read more
U.S. dairy farmers respond to Canadians
MERIDIAN, Idaho — There’s robust defence of supply management among Canadian dairy producers and marketing boards. They often compare the system to that of the United States, a supply-and-demand driven system that would likely be the alternative should supply management ever disappear. Among the assertions made by Canadian defenders are these: U.S. dairy producers are […] Read more
VIDEO: Egg farm welcomes contest-winning visitor
The Tabelon family said they were impressed by what they saw while visiting the Brant Hutterite Colony in Alberta
BRANT, Alta. — Nole Tabelon was impressed by the 15,500 chickens he saw Aug. 23. That’s how many are housed in a free-run system at the Brant Hutterite Colony, which he and his family visited after winning a contest organized by Egg Farmers of Alberta. “It was pretty interesting. I didn’t expect there to be […] Read more
VIDEO: New hay dryer saves leaves and bales
The British Columbia-built machine can dry 18-24 bales an hour, allowing producers to harvst hay when quality is best
NOBLEFORD, Alta. — In the Vanderhoof, B.C., region, 2016 was a bad year for hay. There was lots of rain and not enough time between showers for the swaths to adequately dry for baling. Emil Gulbranson and his son, Chandler, were frustrated by the weather, so they sought hay-drying solutions. They looked around Canada and […] Read more
African swine fever poses threat
China’s current battle against an outbreak of African swine fever is taking place half a world away from Canada, but distance is no guarantee against the deadly virus’s ability to come here. “Certainly there’s a possibility it could spread here. It’s spreading around the world,” said Canadian Pork Council executive director John Ross. “The usual […] Read more
Wild pigs a reservoir of disease
African swine fever virus is hard to kill. It can survive in feces and urine for days, travel on various surfaces and survive in pork even if the meat is cured or cooked to temperatures below 70 C. It has been reported in at least seven European Union countries at various times, and wild pigs […] Read more
Disease can be tricky to diagnose, but vets say up to the task
Dr. Egan Brockhoff is likely one of the few swine veterinarians in Canada who has seen African swine fever first-hand in pigs. The veterinarian consultant with the Canadian Pork Council travels extensively in his work as an expert in swine illnesses and has seen the ravages imposed by the virus on pigs in other countries. […] Read more
Canadian cattle herd continues to shrink
It’s now at its lowest point since 1988, dropping 26.3 percent to 12.4 million head on farms from a peak number recorded in 2005
The Canadian cattle herd continues to shrink and is at the lowest July 1 number since 1988, Statistics Canada reported in its July 1, 2018, inventory report. Breeding stock numbers are also down and many in the industry say it is unlikely to improve, at least in Western Canada, because drought and resulting feed shortages […] Read more
B.C. ranchers suffer as fires persist
British Columbia remains in a state of emergency, first declared on Aug. 15, as 542 fires continue to burn. About 58 fires are either highly visible or pose a potential threat public safety. This year has officially become the second largest fire season on record for the province. The number and extent of fires is […] Read more
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