NEW YORK, N.Y. — The El Nino phenomenon currently affecting weather is expected to weaken during the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and transition to normal conditions by late spring or early summer, a U.S. government weather forecaster said today. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, was in line in its […] Read more
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El Nino expected to diminish in spring
U.S. deploys new plan to control bird flu
The new strain of the virus has never been seen in the United States, forcing the federal government to take action
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — U.S. farm and health officials are racing to assess the threat that a type of bird flu never before seen in the country poses to humans and poultry. They are using emergency plans drawn up in the wake of a devastating outbreak in birds last year. The federal government sprang into […] Read moreRestructuring debt one option to address cash flow issue
For some farmers, as Yogi Berra put it, “it feels like déjà vu all over again.” It wasn’t that many years ago when farms were often required to manage with little or no working capital. I’m talking about liquidity issues, more commonly expressed as cash flow problems. There can be several reasons why this happens […] Read more
Coalition fights to save historic research farm
A coalition of scientists and heritage advocates are trying to save what may be the second oldest piece of agricultural research land in the world. The farmland isn’t in Egypt or in Iraq; it’s a 15-minute drive from Canada’s House of Commons. In 2014, the federal government ceded 60 acres of land from the Agriculture […] Read more
Corn-fed program expands beef market share
The Ontario program plans to go national as a way to attract more cattle and meet increasing international demand
LONDON, Ont. — The Ontario Corn Fed beef program is no longer regional or even national in scale. Sales to Japan, the Middle East and the United States are giving the program a global impact. The Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association launched the brand in 2001 with just 25 cattle per week. However, almost 300,000 Ontario […] Read moreIntensive livestock more sustainable: McCain
Maple Leaf Foods president says pigs, poultry are most climate-friendly livestock in terms of greenhouse gas emissions
BANFF, Alta. — It’s no surprise that Michael McCain supports intensive hog production. The president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Foods heads a company that produces and processes hogs and contracts other producers to supply pork as well. Besides the supply advantage, McCain told those at the Banff Pork Seminar that large scale production […] Read moreMore gov’t investment in technology urged
World in brief International Development NAIROBI, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Governments must radically rethink their technology investments, which are feeding wasteful consumption, driving inequality and worsening global warming, a charity that emphasizes the use of technology to fight poverty said Jan. 21. Contrary to popular thinking, it is governments, not businesses, that often invest […] Read more
Drought rages in Ethiopia
NAIROBI, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Donors are not responding fast enough to an unprecedented drought in Ethiopia, aid agencies say. The agencies said more than 400,000 children younger than five are severely malnourished despite strong economic growth and big development gains over the last decade. Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years, […] Read more
More producers switching to organics
Increased prices are part of the reason, but many farmers are interested in lower input costs and cover crops
The allure of high organic prices has become irresistible for some growers. Industry representatives say 2015 was a fantastic year for Canada’s organic grain sector with the number of new producers jumping substantially. “I’ve done more inspections for new, transitioning growers in 2015 than I (have) in many years beforehand,” said Stuart McMillan, an organic […] Read moreNext foodgrains field near Brooks
Organizers of a Canadian Food-grains Bank growing project in southern Alberta are already planning next year’s crop. Fred Preston of the Newell Food-grains Growing Project said the 2016 crop will be planted in the One Tree Road area near Brooks. The 2015 barley crop, grown near Rosemary, Alta., yielded 105 bushels per acre on 110 […] Read more
