An egg processing plant that will produce a variety of egg products, primarily liquid eggs, is expected to open in Lethbridge in November. Joe Kleinsasser, a Lethbridge area egg producer and vice-chair of Egg Farmers of Alberta, said Egg Processing Inc. (EPIC) is a farmer-owned co-operative with 135 shareholders from across the province. All are […] Read more
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Egg plant to soon open doors
Ottawa sets up advisory panel for innovation
Investment in innovation | Committee will advise government on spending priorities for strategic investments
WHITEHORSE — As governments shift their policy focus from farm income support to innovation and competitiveness, a new innovation committee will be a key player in the success or failure of the move. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz announced creation of the agri-innovators committee Sept. 14 at the end of the federal-provincial ministers’ meeting in […] Read moreBig Sky woes predate drought
The U.S. drought may be taking the blame for Big Sky Farms entering receivership last week but court documents show that Canada’s second largest pork company was in trouble long before feed prices shot up. Ernst and Young has been named the receiver for the Humboldt, Sask., company that produces about one million hogs per […] Read more
Cargill plans new canola refinery
Plant to open by 2014 | Refinery will upgrade raw canola oil into food grade products
Cargill plans to build a large canola refinery at its crushing facility near Clavet, Sask. The company hopes to have the refinery completed in time for the 2014-15 canola harvest. The project’s price tag is not yet certain because details of its scope aren’t final, but it will be a world scale refinery upgrading raw […] Read moreLong form census deemed best way to gather info
A leading Canadian demographic expert agrees with a recent report from Statistics Canada that recommends the return of the long form census. Susan McDaniel, Canada Research Chair in Global Population and Life and a sociology professor at the University of Lethbridge, said Statistics Canada’s review of the 2011 census process and its consideration of other […] Read more
Alberta town evacuated as wildfire goes on blazing rampage
The County of Warner in southern Alberta is tallying damage from a Sept. 10-11 wildfire that burned an estimated 21,000 acres of cropland and native grasslands. Pushed by high winds and feeding on the tinder-dry fuel supplied by stubble and grass, the fire forced the evacuation of Milk River, population about 800, and destroyed outbuildings, […] Read more
Five-year ag deal cuts $2B from supports
WHITEHORSE — Agriculture ministers have signaled a dramatic shift in Canadian agriculture policy from an emphasis on improving farm income support to insistence that farmers prepare to live by market demands. “We must make sure farmers in the entire sector have the tools and the resources they need to stay ahead of the ever-changing demands […] Read more
Families must plan for dignified death
Dying with dignity | The law is ambiguous about suicide and assisted death in Canada
Everybody dies, but not everybody dies with dignity. As well, not enough people plan for death or think about how they would like the end of their life to be handled if there are choices to be made. Given those facts, a palliative care doctor, a lawyer and a Dying With Dignity advocate discussed death […] Read moreCanola continues its slide
Canola futures ended a stinky week with a stinky end, losing a further $3.50 per tonne Friday. Over the week, Winnipeg November canola futures lost $38, or 86 cents per bushel, ending up at $13.90 per bu. Yet canola did not collapse or experience the type of three day limit down moves that tend to […] Read more
CWB expands grade and protein bands
High protein levels in this year’s wheat crop are allowing CWB to offer more flexibility to farmers who commit grain to early delivery and harvest pools. CWB announced Sept. 20 that it is expanding the grade and protein bands for wheat that is delivered against CWB pool contracts. The changes will reduce the need for […] Read more
