Good hay makes better milk | Quebec cheese producers not worried about cheese imports
COMPTON, Que. — No milk is sold from the 80 Holstein cows that are milked every day at the organic Boulduc farm. Instead, the milk is made into organic cheese at the farm’s La Station Fromagerie. What started as a small cheese-making idea 10 years ago has turned into an award-winning cheese business in Quebec’s […] Read moreStories by Mary MacArthur
Alta. gov’t to fund rural seniors facilities
Rural Alberta seniors facilities are getting a much-needed financial boost. Alberta premier Jim Prentice announced $160 million of new money over four years to build and renovate rural seniors facilities. “Enabling seniors to stay in their own community in familiar surroundings is a key to their health, and keeping them happy is something we’ll be […] Read more
Canada, South Korea ratify free trade agreement
Canadian cattle and pork producers received an early Christmas present with the ratification of the Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. The Dec. 3 ratification means Korean tariffs on Canadian beef and pork will start to reduce Jan. 1, 2015, and once again be competitive against Canadian and Australian exporters. The agreement means the 40 percent […] Read more
UPDATED: Two more barns quarantined due to bird flu
UPDATED at 10:15 a.m. CST: Two more poultry farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley are under quarantine as a precaution to contain the spread of avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said yesterday. The two broiler breeder farms are located between two farms near Abbotsford and Chilliwack where avian influenza was announced Tuesday. Avian […] Read more
Better feed efficiency key to higher uptake, milk yields
Corn main component | The ration also includes canola and soy meal
COMPTON, Que. — Attention to detail is key to the Breault dairy farm. The ration for its 410 milking cows is tweaked and adjusted weekly. During silage production, thick plastic is placed along the sides of the concrete bunker and a double thickness of plastic goes on top to prevent spoilage. The details are key, […] Read more
Roundup Ready in alfalfa exports ‘catastrophic’
China market closed | U.S. exporters blacklisted because of GM presence in the crop
BROMONT, Que. — The discovery of Roundup Ready alfalfa in global hay exports should be on Canadian farmers’ radar, says a Canadian hay exporter. Ed Shaw, who exports forage around the world, including to China, said three American hay exporters have been blacklisted from exporting hay to China, and hundreds of container loads of hay […] Read more
Excess hay leads to exports
AYER’S CLIFF, Que. — Extra hay and plenty of labour were crucial to the Bouffard family’s entry into the export business. Alain and Pauline Bouffard’s 12 children gave them a built-in work force on the family dairy farm, while a year with extra hay started their foray into marketing. What started locally as a way […] Read more
Roundup Ready alfalfa trials not heading West
BROMONT, Que. — Farmers who are participating in Roundup Ready alfalfa trials in Canada have been positive about their experience, says an official with the rights to the perennial crop in Canada. “Many of them have asked if it is going to be for sale because they would like to buy some,” said Michael Peterson, […] Read more
Forage association raises profile, but insecure funding an issue
BROMONT, Que. — Building the profile of forages and grasslands has been easy compared to raising money to fund the sector’s national organization. The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association will have about $3,000 in the bank by the end of the year. Higher than expected costs to promote forages and the end of funding agreements […] Read more
Alberta RMs want stable gov’t funding
Rural councillors don’t like going cap in hand to the Alberta government every year looking for money to repair road, bridges and other infrastructure projects. They say stable funding would solve the problem. “We need to know the money from the provincial or federal governments is going to be consistent so we can make plans,” […] Read more
