Open Farm Day
Manitoba’s Open Farm Day is planned for Sept. 15 at more than 60 locations.
The event gives visitors a chance to meet local farmers, explore farms, watch demonstrations, learn about farm products, enjoy recreational activities and ask questions about farm life.
Open Farm Days have been held in Canada for about 10 years, starting in the Maritimes and moving west to Manitoba.
As well as educating visitors, the event provides opportunities for farmers to market their products directly to visitors.
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People who wish to attend in Manitoba can use a guide map to choose a route based on location or the type of farms they want to visit. Host farms are also identified in Google Maps. Call ahead to confirm business hours on Sept. 15 and to find out more about produce selections for the season.
For more information, contact a local Manitoba agriculture GO office or call the Open Farm Day line at 204-821-5322 in Russell.
new director for Beef breeds
Michael Latimer is the new executive director of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council.
Latimer, a fifth generation purebred cattle producer, has been a partner with the Remitall Cattle Co. in Olds, Alta. For the last four years he was general manager of the Canadian Angus Association, where he was responsible for breed promotion and strategic planning with the beef breeds council.
He is also a past-president of the Olds Agricultural Society and has served as a judge and a mentor in the cattlemen’s young leaders development program.
The beef breeds council represents and supports the Canadian purebred beef cattle sector. Its members include national breed associations that represent more than 10,000 producers of purebred breeding stock.
4-H receives funds
The federal government recently announced funding of up to $5.17 million in 4-H Canada initiatives over the next five years.
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz made the announcement while attending the Feeding a Hungry Planet summit, co-sponsored by 4-H Canada, Agriculture Canada and Bayer CropScience.
4-H Canada, in its 100th anniversary celebrations this year, will use the federal funding to further its Embrace the Future initiative, aimed at expanding membership in rural areas, introducing 4-H programs in urban and suburban areas and strengthening the 4-H experience nationwide.
Livestock loan program revised
Saskatchewan Agriculture has amended the rules for the Livestock Loan Guarantee Program.
Individual maximum loan limits have been increased to $500,000 from $300,000 under the Cattle Feeder option and to $500,000 from $200,000 under the Cattle Breeder option. The combined individual maximum limit under both options has been increased to $500,000 from $300,000.
Individual maximum loan limits have been increased to $500,000 from $200,000 under the Bison Feeder option and to $500,000 from $125,000 under the Bison Breeder option. The combined individual maximum limit under both bison options has been increased to $500,000 from $300,000.
Other changes include increasing the corporate maximum loan limit under the cattle and bison feeder and breeder options to $1.5 million from $300,000. Corporate and individual borrowing limits were previously the same.
LLG supervisors now have authority to allow the interprovincial movement of cattle enrolled under the feeder and breeder options.
The new rules are designed to help reduce barriers to livestock expansion.
Radio frequency identification tags on calves as an alternative to brands are now permitted under the Cattle Breeder option. The tagging date for calves under the Bison Breeder option has changed from Dec. 1 of the year of birth to March 31 of the year after birth to align with the weaning process.
The Livestock Loan Guarantee program was established in 1984 to encourage growth of the province’s livestock industry and provide financing to producers buying livestock or developing feedlots.
