Fewer medium eggs are coming off Alberta farms, and Christina Robinson says that’s a good thing. Medium-sized eggs are less sought after in the marketplace than larger eggs and fetch producers a smaller return, yet Alberta sees a larger percentage of these than other provinces. The national average of medium-sized eggs compared to total egg […] Read more

NDP motion opposed by Conservatives, saying it would ‘loosen the application of the anti-avoidance rule’

A motion from an NDP member of Parliament seeks to “correct” income tax rules and simplify complex farm succession regulations. Under one section of the Income Tax Act, siblings aren’t considered related, leaving them unable to re-ceive the same tax exemptions on asset transfers as spouses and children. An NDP-sponsored bill — C-661, Facilitating the […] Read more

Manitoba is shipping 75,000 litres of milk to Saskatchewan for processing every day. It’s a good problem to have, said David Wiens, chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. “The point is we’re able to produce the milk as is required for our markets,” he said. “And we hope that processing will come along as well […] Read more

Western Canadian farmers are seeding the same number of hemp acres this spring as they did last year, says an industry official. About 100,000 acres were contracted last year, said Kim Shukla of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, although only 90,000 acres were seeded. She expects this year’s total will fall into the same neighbourhood. […] Read more

While an Alberta processing facility is busy, contracted fibre acres remain on the horizon

Most of Alberta’s hemp acres are located in the southern part of the province, but the crop has a “northern advantage,” says a researcher. Ongoing work in the province is showing the crop’s potential in the Peace region, where growers can produce a taller, more fibrous stalk, said Jan Slaski of Alberta Innovates Technology Futures. […] Read more

Canadian officials negotiating a new free trade agreement could take a page out of the country’s pact with the European Union. Ongoing talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12 nation deal linking North American and Australian economies with growing markets in Asia, have put Canadian supply management in the crosshairs of foreign officials seeking greater […] Read more

The deadly virus can be spread by wild birds — small poultry producers with backyard flocks are urged to take sanitary precautions

Avian influenza outbreaks in Canada and the U.S. have poultry producers on high alert, but biosecurity isn’t just a concern for commercial quota holders.  Industry-issued reminders for careful sanitization and transportation are also directed at smaller producers making farmgate sales and backyard flocks kept for show and sustenance. A tight biosecurity plan is seen as […] Read more