Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a minister in charge of rural economic development. Bernadette Jordan, who represents South Shore-St. Margarets in Nova Scotia, takes on the new portfolio as part of the Jan. 13 cabinet shuffle. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture welcomed the appointment, saying it points to the importance of rural communities and […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
New food guide replaces servings with guidelines
Fruits and vegetables, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives are no longer on the Canadian food guide menu. The new guide released Jan. 22 instead offers guidelines on healthy foods and beverages. It doesn’t set out how many servings people should eat each day or the size of those servings. Health Canada […] Read more
Premium payment changes for price insurance program
Saskatchewan cattle producers who use the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program no longer have to pay the entire premium up front. The federal and provincial agriculture ministers announced this past fall that policyholders could make payments on account until the policy expires, subject to interest. Cattle organizations in the province had asked for this change, […] Read more
Trudeau blasted on carbon tax
At a town hall meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Regina last week, questions about immigration, housing costs and even government spying in peoples’ bedrooms came up before Jason Leblanc of Estevan, Sask., could finally ask about the federal carbon tax. Nearly an hour into the Jan. 10 public event at the University of […] Read more
Livestock, forage research funding announced in Sask.
Saskatchewan and Ottawa have announced $5.5 million to fund 34 livestock and forage research projects. Provincial Agriculture Minister David Marit announced the funding at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference Jan. 17. The funding is available through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund and the Strategic Field Program. The SFP is designed to demonstrate and evaluate targeted practices […] Read more
New food safety rules come into play
New regulations governing food safety came into effect in Canada today. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations are consistent with international standards, the government said, and focus on prevention as well as removing unsafe foods from the marketplace more quickly. Under the new rules, any food businesses that import or prepare food for export across […] Read more
Trudeau challenged on carbon tax at Regina town hall
At a town hall meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday in Regina, questions about immigration, housing costs and even government spying in peoples’ bedrooms came up before Jason Leblanc of Estevan, Sask., could finally ask about the federal carbon tax. Nearly an hour into the Jan. 10 public event at the University of Regina, […] Read more
Genomic testing on its way for bison sector
An Alberta firm says it will provide parentage verification, sub-species composition and the presence of cattle genetics
Edmonton-based Delta Genomics is moving closer to developing genomic testing tools for the Canadian bison industry. Chief executive officer Michelle Miller told the 2018 Canadian Bison Association annual convention that the first two steps of a five-step process are complete, and over the next year the tools should be completed. In the end, she said […] Read moreRising bison numbers justify optimism in industry
A Canadian Bison Association survey that was conducted in the first quarter of 2018 shows continued growth in the sector. Executive director Terry Kremeniuk said the association does its own census because the federal census numbers are gathered in June. “That’s probably the lowest point in the year in terms of the number of animals […] Read more
Irrigation transfer still alarming producers
Legislation has been introduced to allow the Saskatchewan government to hand over assets to to irrigation districts
The pending transfer of irrigation assets from the Saskatchewan government to districts continues to concern farmers who say they face huge costs because the infrastructure is in poor repair. One estimate has pegged rehabilitation costs at $350 million. The province has wanted to transfer equipment such as pumps, lifts and smaller canals to the districts […] Read more
