Promotional effort Healthy Grains Institute says more funds are required to educate public
EDMONTON — Farmers need to arm themselves with facts and defend their industry against bogus anti-wheat claims, said Christine Lowry, a nutrition and policy adviser with the Healthy Grains Institute. “We think having the farmer give the message may be the most acceptable way for the consumer to accept it,” she said. Industry associations established […] Read moreStories by Mary MacArthur
Seed cleaning plants play a quiet but important role
EDMONTON — Seed cleaning plants are just like the grinders in a hockey game: not flashy, often under-appreciated but very im-portant. Alberta’s 69 seed cleaning plants cleaned 36 million bushels of grain last year, said Ron Wirsta, manager of the St. Paul Seed Cleaning Plant and a member of the Association of Alberta Co-op Seed […] Read more
Grower group looks to simplify grain contracts
Producer concerns | Separate study finds that only a small minority of growers actually read contracts with grain companies
EDMONTON — Concerns over one-sided grain company contracts have prompted industry officials to study grain contracts, says Cheryl Mayer, a policy analyst with the Canadian Canola Growers Association. She hopes the initiative will encourage companies to make contracts easy to read, understand and less one sided. “We wanted to better understand the frustrations and concerns […] Read morePrivate sector pivotal in wheat’s future
Variety development | Breeders need greater royalties as incentive, says wheat commission chair
EDMONTON — Farmers need to discuss ways to increase investment in wheat research so they retain the cereal as a viable crop. Kent Erickson, chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission, said they must start asking themselves if more producer involvement is needed, if they want to own plant breeding programs or facilities and what role […] Read more
Alberta pest maps warn of insect hot spots
Scout fields regularly | Insect populations are expected to be similar to last year but environmental conditions can alter risk
Scott Meer’s crystal ball shows that crop-eating insects aren’t going to disappear this year from Alberta fields. Alberta Agriculture’s Insect Pest Monitoring Network has released its 2014 insect forecast maps for the top Alberta pests. Meer, an insect specialist with the department, recently hosted a chat with producers on Twitter and re-leased the latest maps. […] Read more
Livestock producers get insurance
Risk management | New program available to hog and cattle producers provides stability
A price insurance program that has proved popular with Alberta livestock producers is now available to cattle and hog producers in all four western provinces. The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is designed to protect against roller coaster prices by allowing producers to lock in a minimum price, similar to crop insurance. Canadian Cattlemen’s Association […] Read moreDeadly virus could cost hog industry millions
Ontario Pork producers are bracing themselves after two positive cases and a possible third case of PED were discovered in Ontario farms over the past week. If the virus were to spread across Canada, within one year it would cause an estimated $45 million in damage to the Canadian hog industry, said Amy Cronin, a […] Read more
Alberta, Sask. forage, livestock sectors get funding
Federal funding for Canadian pork marketing | Federal and provincial funds also announced for 27 research projects in Saskatchewan
The federal government was busy making funding announcements last week pertaining to livestock and forage production and marketing. At the Banff Pork Seminar, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz’s announcement of $15 million to support pork marketing initiatives at home and abroad was received positively by industry officials, whose attention didn’t drift from major issues of trade […] Read moreOfficials continue search for PED source in Ontario
Officials are looking into how the deadly pig virus porcine epidemic diarrhea found its way into an Ontario pig barn, the first positive case in Canada. The source of the virus is still unknown, but investigators are retracing the activity of trucks, people and animals on the southwestern Ontario farm. Douglas MacDougald of South West […] Read more
Pork producers must enhance biosecurity
Pork producers must learn to be more vigilant than a Russian security guard at the Sochi Olympics if they want to keep porcine epidemic diarrhea out of Canada. Pork officials and veterinarians believe the deadly PED virus, which became a reportable disease in Alberta Jan. 20, will likely sneak across the border from the United […] Read more
