CALGARY – Consumers and animal welfare groups are increasing their influence on food production, and Canadian farmers and ranchers must pay attention to it. Dr. Edmond Pajor, animal welfare professor at the University of Calgary’s school of veterinary medicine, said a fundamental change is afoot in the food supply system as food companies and consumers […] Read more
News
Livestock producers must walk the talk and provide proof
New pioneers clear the way
LA CRETE, Alta. – Alberta’s oldest farming communities are about to become its newest farming area with the opening up of 850 quarter sections of land for agriculture. A land swap agreement with the provincial government will result in the sale of 136,000 acres of land for agricultural purposes in Mackenzie County near High Level, […] Read more
Pulse processor vows to remain family owned
One major player in Canada’s pulse processing sector won’t be going down the same road as its competition by merging with another business or becoming a publicly traded company. “We’re a family business and we still view the family business and small to medium enterprise as the fabric of this nation,” said Greg Simpson, president […] Read more
Public demands high standards
CALGARY –Dr. Scott Hurd spent his first week on the job implementing the largest meat recall in United States history. About 144 million pounds of beef were recalled in early 2008 after the Hallmark processing plant in Chino, California, was found to have slaughtered downer cattle. Video released by the Humane Society of the United […] Read more
Canadian cattle markets rebounding: economist
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Canadian beef producers should be optimistic, at least in the short term, about where their industry is headed, an agricultural economist told Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association members last week. Andy Schmitz of the University of Florida also farms in Saskatchewan near Chaplin and Central Butte. He said the American herd continues […] Read more
Prediction of pulse sector consolidation may ring true
When Lloyd Affleck was first elected to the board of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers in 1992, he had a conversation with pulse industry guru Al Slinkard, who predicted that the processing sector would shrink to four or five players. “That kind of put my hackles up,” said Affleck. As an owner of a small pulse crop […] Read more
Genetically modified debate will not be resolved through trade negotiations
The European Union’s ambassador to Canada said Canadian farmers should not expect free trade talks to solve key outstanding issues between the two. Matthias Brinkmann, speaking at an event organized by the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy on May 25, cited Canadian and EU differences on genetically modified organisms as […] Read more
Manitoba lobbies against end to single desk
Manitoba’s provincial government has launched an advertising campaign to oppose the federal government’s vow to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopolies. Backed by a number of members of the CWB’s board of directors, representatives of the Port of Churchill and the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, premier Greg Selinger demanded June 13 that the […] Read more
Manufacturers cope with loonie
The strong Canadian dollar may force agricultural equipment manufacturers from Western Canada to increase their prices in foreign markets. A dollar trading above parity with the U.S. greenback hurts manufacturers that generate a lot of sales south of the border, forcing them to either raise prices or take losses. However, Morris Industries’ chief operating officer […] Read more
B.C. offers bounty on problem wolves
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – British Columbia is getting serious about wolf control. The province has promised $200,000 to help farmers and ranchers provide predator protection and control, agriculture minister Don McRae told the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association’s annual meeting that was held June 9-11 in Prince George. The province is also implementing a year-round hunting season […] Read more
