Sylvain Charlebois has always been upbeat about bison, and COVID-19 hasn’t changed his mind. Speaking online to the Canadian Bison Association convention Dec. 5, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University said bison meat should continue to be in demand despite the market downturn during the pandemic. He pointed to Nielsen grocery […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Recent bison sale described as ‘electric’
The Canadian Bison Association annual national sale went ahead online Dec. 5 with 43 animals on offer through Jack Auction Group. Brennin Jack said this was the first completely virtual sale for bison breeding stock. His company sells bison monthly via webcasts and he said it was clear the CBA sale was well supported by […] Read more
Sask. lowers gathering limits in new COVID measures
Saskatchewan is imposing tighter restrictions on residents ahead of the holidays. As of Thursday, Dec. 17, at midnight, private indoor gatherings are limited to immediate household members, while outdoor gatherings can have up to 10 people if physical distancing can be maintained. Single people can meet with one, consistent household of fewer than five people. […] Read more
Margin-based insurance program gains traction
Canada’s agriculture ministers are considering whether a margin-based income protection program could replace AgriStability in 2023. As prairie agriculture ministers look at whether their governments can pay millions more on AgriStability changes before the next five-year agreement, Manitoba’s Blaine Pedersen said margin-based insurance is gaining traction. Speaking to reporters after the recent federal-provincial-territorial ministerial meeting, […] Read more
Worries raised over food export future at West Coast
The operation of a major canola oil exporter at the port of Vancouver is in jeopardy without a lease extension, says the company and other agricultural interests. West Coast Reduction, which is also a large renderer from animal processing on the Prairies and a supplier to the biofuels industry, sits on a six-acre parcel on […] Read more
Supply management bill receives cold reception
Bloc Quebecois MP introduces a private member’s bill that would make concessions in future trade negotiations illegal
A private member’s bill that would make it illegal to include supply management concessions in future trade deals has received second reading in Parliament and attracted attention outside the House. The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance released a letter to the prime minister and opposition leaders asking them not to support the bill, even though all […] Read more
Emergency pet food banks planned in Sask.
Eight Saskatchewan food banks based mainly in rural areas have signed on to establish emergency pet food banks. The intention is to keep pets with their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Josh Hourie, community relations co-ordinator at the Saskatchewan SPCA, said people shouldn’t have to decide between feeding themselves or their pets if they find […] Read more
Verticillium stripe moves west into Sask.
The soil-borne disease that caused yield losses in Manitoba canola crops this year was also found in Saskatchewan fields
A soil-borne disease first detected in Manitoba in 2014 caused yield losses in 2020 canola crops. Verticillium stripe appears to be making its way west, as some fields in Saskatchewan showed symptoms this summer as well. Justine Cornelsen, agronomy specialist at the Canola Council of Canada, said verticillium longisporum is different from another species, verticillium […] Read more
Sask. transload facility planned
A privately owned rail transloading facility at Weyburn, Sask., is expected to open in January. Carter Stewart, operations general manager for Weyburn Industrial Transload, said the required 6,500 sq. feet of rail line has been built and after some test runs and ensuring the computer system works, the facility will open. It’s designed to transfer […] Read more
Feds make counter proposal on possible BRM changes
Farm groups say they support a counter proposal on business risk management reform that federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau made to the provinces at last week’s ministerial meeting. However, they were also disappointed that no consensus was reached during the Nov. 27 federal-provincial-territorial meeting. Bibeau’s proposal includes increasing the compensation rate offered under the AgriStability […] Read more
