Mary MacArthur

Almost 60 farmers, truck drivers and bankers are owed more than $350,000 after an Alberta grain company declared bankruptcy last month. All Grain (Alberta) Ltd., declared bankruptcy Feb. 16. Gary Broenner of Mundare, Alta., said he is owed $8,000 for two B-trains of grain he sold to Thomas Erling-Tyrell, owner of the company. “I may […] Read more

Grain dealers have little sympathy for farmers who lost money when an Alberta-based grain buyer recently declared bankruptcy. “Farmers have got to realize they are in business,” said Al Constantini, president of C. B. Constantini, a licensed grain company based in Vancouver. “I don’t have sympathy for those farmers who sold grain for an extra […] Read more

Lorne Miller is a bison judge who stands behind his decisions. When he and fellow judge Mike Edgar were judging the 2000 heifer class at the Wild Rose Classic Bison Show and Sale in Camrose, Alta., they couldn’t agree on the first place calf. Miller liked Number 18, a rare wood bison from the Beaver […] Read more

An Alberta processor that was forced to stop killing sheep more than two years ago is back in business. Canada West Foods of Innisfail stopped killing sheep older than one year after fears of scrapie, a wasting disease in sheep that was linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, made it difficult to dispose of offal. Rendering […] Read more

NEW YORK (Reuters) – British and American researchers are combining forces to develop a test for mad cow disease that would detect infected cows in slaughter houses. Igen International Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Maryland and London research firm D-Gen Ltd. said they have started a program to develop the new test. The effort will combine […] Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) – The National Pork Producers Council says a settlement has been reached with the United States Department of Agriculture that allows the continuation of a controversial multimillion dollar industry check-off program. “As a result of the settlement agreement, the mandatory pork checkoff will continue,” the council said. Last month, the USDA ordered […] Read more

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) – The Australian Canola Association is forecasting a slightly smaller crop in the 2001-2002 crop year. Estimates of farmers’ planting intentions suggest a one to 12 percent reduction. Farmers will sow between 2.86 and 3.23 million acres, down from an estimated 3.31 million in 2000-2001, the association said. “The actual size of […] Read more

Experienced cattle buyers can tell an animal’s sex, weight, breed type, and age with a quick glance. But Edmonton veterinarian and feedlot owner Jake Burlet wanted to know more. He wanted to know what the previous owners had fed the cattle, where the cattle were raised, and if they were given vaccinations or treated for […] Read more

Alberta pork producers got a boost from the sale of a Red Deer packing plant to Quebec-based pork processor Olymel, says the general manager of Alberta’s hog marketing company. “It’s a different game altogether now,” said Mack Rennie of the Western Hog Exchange. Last week, Olymel bought the fresh pork division of Premium Brands Inc. […] Read more

Continuing losses at its Brandon plant and tight profit margins in the pork business squeezed profits at Maple Leaf Foods last year. “Our difficult financial results in 2000 relates almost exclusively to a single factor, being the start-up issues surrounding our Brandon fresh pork facility,” said Michael McCain, president and chief executive officer. “We expect […] Read more