Canada’s dairy farmers will receive a 3.5 percent, two-cents-per-litre increase in milk prices Feb. 1. The announcement has unleashed the usual storm of controversy and debate about regulated dairy prices. The dairy farmer lobby said it was too little, failing to compensate farmers for the impact of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the impact it had […] Read more
News
Dairy increase sets off usual uproar
Federated Co-op defies global industry trend
Federated Co-operatives Limited’s year-end results have become a broken record of broken records. Sales of $3.55 billion in 2003 set a new high for the company, which also achieved its 12th consecutive year of record earnings, posting a net income figure just over $282 million. An analyst familiar with the co-operative said Federated’s financial track […] Read more
Processors seek to restore lobby organization
Four years after the voice of the Canadian dairy processor lobby fell silent because its competitive member companies could not agree on a common message, the industry has decided to get its lobby act together again. In mid-December, six major Canadian processors formed the Dairy Processors Association of Canada, vowing that the processor voice must […] Read more
Offer made for Alta. oats processor
A deal has been made for the sale of Alberta Oats, one of Alberta’s largest oat processing companies that went into voluntary receivership in August. The oats facility has been sold for just over $5 million, said Don MacLean, a senior vice-president with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Edmonton. “We have a deal,” said MacLean. The sale has […] Read more
Lagging hog industry also feeling BSE effects
With bovine spongiform encephalopathy grabbing headlines again, the hog industry hopes government officials and consumers don’t overlook its woes. “We have sort of fallen below the radar (screen) because of the BSE incident,” said John Patience, president of the Prairie Swine Centre. Dismal hog prices, the rising Canadian dollar and increased domestic consumption of beef […] Read more
Transfusions, vCJD may be linked: U.K.
LONDON, U.K. (Reuters) – Britain announced last month what could be the world’s first case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease being transmitted during a blood transfusion. It is not certain whether the unidentified patient, who died earlier this year, had been infected through blood transfusion but health officials said it could not be ruled out. The […] Read more
Producer car complaint off to mediation
A dispute between a group of producer car shippers in northeastern Saskatchewan and Canadian Pacific Railway has been sent to mediation. Whether that qualifies as good news is still unclear, says a spokesperson for the farmers. “It will all depend on what CP comes to the table with,” said Ron Shymanski of Choiceland, Sask. “We’re […] Read more
Stock Sales
Jan. 31: M.C. Quantock “Canada’s Bulls” bull sale, Lloydminster, 800-561-2855 Feb. 24: “Top Guns” Simmental bull sale, Red Deer, Alta., 403-556-5563 March 6: Davidson Gelbvieh bull and female sale, Swift Current, Sask., 306-625-3755 March 14-15: Bull show and sale, Regina, Sask., 306-933-3111
Growers to hear protection plan
Jim Wood wants to know how a proposed new producer-funded protection program will prevent him from losing $54,000 again. “I’ll be up there (in Saskatoon) and it will be really interesting to see what the gory details are on that program because I don’t consider myself protected at all by the (Canadian) Grain Commission,” said […] Read more
Hog barn fire can lead to ruin despite insurance
Emotionally, a hog barn fire can be traumatic. Financially, it can be devastating, according to a consultant and hog barn manager from Lowe Farm, Man. Lorne Tannas manages Tobacco Creek Farms, where a farrowing barn was destroyed by fire. It was only with the support of friends, neighbours, barn workers and other community members that […] Read more
