Agribition appoints new board Bruce Holmquist of Saskatoon is the new president of Canadian Western Agribition. Holmquist, who has been involved with Agribition for 40 years, joined the board in 2007 and became an executive member in 2012. He has worked on various committees, including rodeo, RBC Beef Supreme, beef cattle, animal health, high school […] Read more
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AG Notes
Alberta county asks farmers to keep GM alfalfa out
A county in Alberta’s Peace River region is asking farmers not to plant genetically modified alfalfa. The matter is moot right now because Roundup Ready alfalfa is not available to growers in Western Canada. However, HarvXtra, a GM variety with stacked Roundup Ready and low lignin traits, was offered on a limited basis in Eastern […] Read more
Manitoba’s hog industry set to grow
The population of Neepawa, Man., has grown 27 percent since 2011. The main cause: immigrants settling in the central Manitoba town to work in the local hog slaughter plant. “It does have quite an impact,” Mayor Adrian de Groot said while talking about both the HyLife plant and the hog industry, which he hopes to […] Read more
Inspections begin under Alberta’s farm safety act
When Alberta farmers held tractor rallies and demonstrations in 2015 to protest Bill 6, the NDP government’s farm safety legislation, Mike Rappel attended most of them. He saw the anger and confusion that arose from the plan, which passed with minor amendments to become Alberta’s Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. Now Rappel, […] Read more
Red Deer farmers fight gravel pit
SPRUCE VIEW, Alta. — Rural neighbours of a proposed project in Red Deer County to convert 122 acres of cropland into a gravel pit continue to voice opposition. On April 25, the county council will entertain second and third reading of a land-use bylaw that would allow gravel mining as a permitted use on the […] Read more
Bee population decline sees beekeeper boom
Beekeeping is now cool. Well, maybe not cool, but it could be more popular than ever in Canada. The University of Manitoba offers a non-credit beekeeping course every winter and for the last three years it’s been packed with students. In fact, overflowing. Rob Currie, a U of M entomologist and a course instructors, said […] Read more
Shorter trips, more rest stops may not benefit animals
Veterinarian says respiratory disease is a major issue when moving cattle, and a rest stop allows more time for bacteria to incubate
Canadian livestock producers say shorter transportation times and rest stops could actually be worse for animals in transit. The beef, pork and poultry sectors recently took their concerns about proposed new transport regulations to the Commons agriculture committee. The regulations have not been changed since 1977 and amendments were released earlier this year after about […] Read morePrivate member’s bill seeks to end squatters’ rights in Alta.
Bill 204 would also amend the stewardship act, restoring landowners’ rights to compensation for decisions affecting their land
Squatters’ rights, more formally known as adverse possession, may be stricken from Alberta property law if a private member’s bill passes in the provincial legislature. Adverse possession allows a person to claim ownership of land if he or she has been in open possession of it for10 years or more without having a valid agreement […] Read moreTrudeau defends Canada’s dairy system against Trump protectionist charge
OTTAWA, April 20 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday brushed off an attack by U.S. President Donald Trump on Canada’s system of dairy protections, saying every nation defended its agricultural industries. Trudeau told Bloomberg Television that the United States in fact ran a dairy surplus with Canada. Trump took aim at Canada’s […] Read more
CP focused on smoothing ruffled feathers with employees
The top executive at Canadian Pacific Railway says he is committed to building a stronger relationship with railway employees. In an April 19 conference call with investors, president Keith Creel acknowledged that relations with the company’s unionized workers have suffered over the past few years as the company has taken steps to lower operating costs […] Read more
