A U.S. food safety audit of Canadian meat plants has ended following massive beef recalls, which were prompted by E. coli discoveries in both countries. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported that the audits were carried out at a number of Canadian plants, including one beef facility. As of Nov. 16 the U.S. Food Safety […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Rising corn prices tied to oil
The escalating cost of corn can be linked to the price of crude oil, says a University of Iowa agriculture economist. Bob Babcock told a bioenergy conference in Calgary Nov. 13 that grain prices are now linked to oil and gasoline prices because ethanol is sold into an energy market where price is set by […] Read more
Pest shuts down Alberta spud trade
KANANASKIS, Alta. – A pest the size of a grain of sand has temporarily shut Alberta out of the export market for seed potatoes. Two positive cases of the pale cyst nematode out of more than 2,000 samples were diagnosed in Alberta this fall. As a result, the province is quarantined and unable to export […] Read more
TB leads to quarantines
Investigations continue into a case of bovine tuberculosis tracked to a farm at Vanderhoof, B.C. A Charolais bull was diagnosed with tuberculosis lesions at a slaughterhouse in Quebec. The bull was part of a herd that was dispersed through the Innisfail, Alta., auction market last summer and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has quarantined 28 […] Read more
Dairy sector booming
Increased demand for milk and cattle is good news for the dairy industry. Prices for good commercial heifers are $2,500 to $3,000, compared to two years ago when sellers were struggling for bids, said Ontario dairy producer Scott Brether. His family milks 1,200 cows at a farm near London and another 80 at Guelph. “We […] Read more
Potato fungicide resistance raises concern
KANANASKIS, Alta. – A new way to manage disease in potatoes might be needed as more cases of fungicide resistance are reported, says a Manitoba potato specialist. “Resistance can develop by the intensive use or misuse of fungicides,” Tracy Shinners-Carnelly told the Potato Growers of Alberta annual meeting in Kananaskis Nov. 14. Fungicide resistance is […] Read more
New blackleg strain poses challenge for growers
KANANASKIS, Alta. – Blackleg is a common problem for potato growers, but in recent years a new strain has appeared. Blackleg is caused by a bacterium called erwinia carotovora that thrives in cool, moist conditions. “If you don’t have the right conditions, you won’t likely see it,” said Agriculture Canada plant pathologist Larry Kawchuk, who […] Read more
Seafood waste controls potato disease
KANANASKIS, Alta. – A common potato disease may have met its match in the claws of a lobster. Potato diseases caused by the fungus rhizoctonia are a problem known around the world, says Rick Peters, who works for Agriculture Canada in Prince Edward Island. “I don’t know if there is a field that grows potatoes […] Read more
E. coli cases harm beef on world stage
A wide recall of beef products potentially carrying E. coli bacteria originating in Canada is said to have hurt the reputation of the entire industry from farm to processor. “Any food safety issue hurts us on the ground,” said Arnold Hanson, a cow-calf producer from Viking, Alta., and a delegate to the Alberta Beef Producers. […] Read more
Simmental changes benefit producers
EDMONTON – Murray Jacobson was a young veterinary medicine student in 1967 when the first Simmental cattle set foot on Canadian soil. Forty years later, the president of the Canadian Simmental Association is a proud supporter of the Swiss breed that helped change the look of the North American beef industry. “They were more of […] Read more
