Cattle producers are confused about amendments to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s tagging program. The agency changed program regulations last September in response to the BSE crisis. One of the amendments called for the removal of a tagging exemption for animals moving to community pastures, exhibition sites and veterinary clinics. That prompted the Prairie Farm […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Farmers find low profit in scrap metal sales
Farmers shouldn’t bank on a cash windfall for their old combines despite a booming world demand for scrap metal, says one of the biggest scrap users in Western Canada. Prices for scrap metal have doubled in the past 16 months, driven by an economic explosion in China. The Asian country has rapidly become the largest […] Read more
Feed mill reopens
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s trash has become another company’s treasure. A conglomeration of farmers, businesspeople and other investors from Bruno, Sask., has resuscitated a feed mill discarded by the grain company one year ago. The pool closed its Heartland Feeds plant in April of last year, saying the 30-year-old facility required a substantial capital injection and […] Read more
Stars out of line for record Ukrainian exports
Ukraine is expected to reappear in wheat export markets this year, but nothing like 2002-03 when it came out of nowhere to become one of the top exporting regions in the world. Market analysts project Ukraine’s coming wheat crop will be 13-16 million tonnes, which would be the first average wheat harvest in the past […] Read more
Dogs give protein-packed product the nod
Pulse producers may soon be adding Bowser’s bowl to a growing list of potential markets. An Alberta pet food company is considering adding peas and fababeans to its dog food formula. Champion Pet Foods of Morinville, Alta., has been conducting palatability and animal performance trials on a pulse-based doggie delicacy. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said […] Read more
Pulse growers hope to fill void
Alberta commodity groups have a good appreciation of what their Saskatchewan counterparts will be facing in the wake of a provincial budget that cut 119 agricultural extension staff. The same thing happened one province over in 2002 when Alberta chopped 186 jobs from the agriculture ministry. “We lost a lot of people in the field,” […] Read more
Seeding survey finds big increase in lentil crop
Pulse crop prognosticators have been trying to guess the size of the coming lentil crop since the Pulse Days convention in Saskatoon in January, but no one predicted what farmers have just told them. According to Statistics Canada’s March seeding intentions report released April 23, Saskatchewan lentil farmers are going to plant a 26 percent […] Read more
Japanese pea beer opens new market
The thought of quaffing back a pea sandwich instead of the traditional barley sandwich might sound appalling to a Canadian hockey fan, but it is a hit with sumo wrestling enthusiasts on the other side of the world. Sapporo Breweries Ltd. recently launched a new beer-like beverage made from a mixture of barley malt and […] Read more
BSE crisis opens doors for organic beef
If there is a ray of light penetrating the BSE cloud that has descended on the Canadian cattle industry, it can be found in the organic sector. Producers and marketers of organic beef say there is a heightened awareness and increased demand for their meat since BSE was discovered in Alberta. “It really has brought […] Read more
Plans for organic meat plant forging ahead
A Saskatchewan meat processing company plans to address a longstanding shortcoming in the organic beef sector. Diamond 7 Meats intends to build a plant in Lloydminster, Sask., capable of slaughtering organic cattle to international standards and processing the meat into packaged shelf-ready products. The BSE crisis has spurred chatter from various groups about expanding Canada’s […] Read more
