JBS Foods Canada, which operates the beef processing facility in Brooks, Alta., is providing $2 million to that community, the company announced Oct. 22. The funds are part of the company’s Hometown Strong initiative that has earmarked $50 million for use in communities within Canada and the United States where it has facilities. The money […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Hog slaughter up despite packers’ COVID-19 troubles
Canadian hog slaughter was up three percent in the third quarter and market analyst Kevin Grier thinks that will continue into the fourth. Speaking during an Oct. 21 webinar organized by J.S. Ferraro meat and livestock analysts, Grier said hogs are available if processors are able to keep up their pace. That might be in […] Read more
Canada urged to sign more zone agreements
The country has deals with U.S. and EU but animal health experts say more are needed in case African swine fever strikes
There are two potential ways to preserve livestock trade in the event of a disease outbreak. Establishing zones that are free of the illness is the more familiar route but another approach is compartmentalization. Stakeholders in Canada’s hog industry have been working on plans for handling trade and disease control should African swine fever arrive […] Read more
Backyard pig production remains ASF worry
British Columbia develops a production manual to help inform the province’s estimated 1,200 small hog producers
There are more than 7,000 “small-lot” pig producers in Canada, those who operate outside the commercial system. Their number and level of activity or knowledge regarding biosecurity are concerns for those involved in preventing African swine fever from entering the country and controlling it if it does. The illness has devastated hog populations in Asia […] Read more
Human case of rare flu linked to hogs found in Alberta
A central Alberta resident diagnosed with a type of influenza typically found in pigs has recovered from the illness and is considered to be an isolated case. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said Nov. 4 that it is the first reported case in Canada of a person getting this particular flu, […] Read more
DNA test can help landowners identify mystery weeds
A successful weed war requires identifying undesirable plants, learning their life cycles and testing management tactics
“Know thine enemy” is only part of the famous quote by General Sun Tzu in his book, The Art of War, but it’s the most applicable part when it comes to battling weeds. Identifying undesirable plants, learning their life cycles and testing different management tactics are the three keys to eliminating problem weeds in pasture, […] Read more
Alta. ag layoffs called ‘a pretty significant change’
There was plenty of warning but that didn’t ease the shock for about 135 Alberta Agriculture employees who got notice last week of pending job loss. The recent cuts were phase one of a two-phase “workforce transformation” that will see the provincial government eliminate 247 union positions in agriculture and forestry, with the second phase […] Read more
Alberta has adequate water supplies to grow: panel
One member of a recent discussion says the environment will suffer if water use in the province expands too much
The question is apt: does Alberta have enough water to grow? The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy put that question to a three-member panel Oct. 20. Two said the answer is yes. The third said maybe but there will be trade-offs. Earlier this month the federal and provincial governments announced an $815 million […] Read more
Alta. sugar beet producers have bumper year
A bountiful crop is especially welcome given disastrous weather last fall that resulted in half the beet crop unharvested
Southern Alberta sugar beet growers are harvesting one of the best crops of the last five years. Farmer reports indicate yields of 28 to 29 tonnes per acre, well above the average of 26 tonnes, and sugar content of more than the average 20 percent, said Alberta Sugar Beet Growers president Gary Tokariuk. “It’s a […] Read more
Slaughter backlog slow to disappear
American processors are having an easier time because producers placed fewer cattle in feedlots in March and April
The backlog of slaughter cattle that developed when many North American packing plants slowed or shut down in early days of the COVID-19 pandemic might be gone by December in the United States. In Canada, it might take a little longer. In a fourth quarter update organized online by meat and livestock analysts J.S. Ferraro, […] Read more
