The pandemic complicates plans to import bees from overseas, while a new strain of foulbrood keeps producers on edge
The basics of supply and demand are at work in the Canadian honey business. Demand is up, along with the price, and supply is low. “Nationally, there’s very little honey available that I’m aware of and the price is very solid,” said Canadian Honey Council executive director Rod Scarlett. “There’s a really strong demand and […] Read moreNews
Pork sector calls national agency a vital step
The new Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency will be funded with levies collected on imported hogs and meat
A new federal agency will use funds from a levy on imported pork to pay for research and promotion of the sector. On Nov. 5, federal agriculture minister Marie Claude Bibeau officially announced the creation of the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA). The Canadian Pork Council has floated the idea for nearly a […] Read more
Cargill adopts regenerative agriculture
Cargill has jumped on the regenerative ag bandwagon. In September, the Minneapolis company said it wants to increase the amount of land farmed with cover crops, reduced tillage and diverse crop rotations. “Cargill is supporting farmer-led efforts to adopt and implement regenerative ag practices and systems on 10 million acres of cropland in North America […] Read more
Company plans regenerative ag centre in B.C.
A Vancouver firm has come up with an ambitious plan that it hopes will drastically slash global synthetic pesticide use
The head of a Vancouver company has an ambitious but seemingly impossible goal. Karn Manhas, chief executive officer of Terramera, hopes to reduce “global synthetic pesticide load 80 percent by 2030,” according to the firm’s website. That is definitely ambitious, seeing how 2030 is only 10 years away and 80 percent is a massive number. […] Read more
Rare human swine flu case deemed low threat in Alberta
Influenza A (H1N2)v is linked to contact with pigs, and provincial officials continue their investigation into potential sources of the virus
A case of swine influenza contracted by a person in central Alberta is believed to be an isolated incident with low threat to either other people or to pigs. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said Nov. 4 that it was the first reported case in Canada of a person getting this […] Read more
EU gene editing hostility called research obstacle
Some plant breeders say they are reluctant to use the technology to engineer new canola hybrids because of Europe’s stance on the practice
The distance from Brussels, Belgium, to Saskatoon, Sask., is 6,861 kilometres. It may be a third of the world away, but decisions in Brussels have an impact on canola growers in Saskatchewan. Some plant breeders are reluctant to use gene editing technology to engineer new and better canola hybrids because Europe is hostile to the […] Read more
Ag minister optimistic about export prospects
Marie-Claude Bibeau says an increasing middle class in Africa and Asia will increase demand for the food Canada grows
Minister of Agriculture Marie Claude Bibeau says Canadian agriculture will be the “powerhouse of the economy” as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to specific opportunities for the industry to grow. During a virtual “fireside chat” at the International Economic Forum of the America’s Toronto event on Oct. 27, Bibeau expressed optimism over […] Read more
Mining for coal in Alberta has a storied past
Farmers first began digging coal in the early years of the 19th century, and the Diplomat Mine was eventually developed
In central Alberta, near the banks of the Battle River, sit the remains of the Diplomat coal mine. The site was originally the homestead of Austing Bish and his four sons, who arrived in the Forestburg area from Oregon in 1905. The family farmed their homesteads and began to exploit the coal deposits in the […] Read more
Cattle temperament genes linked to autism
Advocacy groups have criticized the study, but researchers hope findings will shed new light on genetic aspects of autism
Australian researchers have discovered a strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans. Dr. Roy Costilla, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Animal Science, said researchers tested the association of cattle temperament with temperament-like traits in humans, including four behavioural and psychiatric disorders: neuroticism, schizophrenia, developmental delay […] Read more
Agriculture urged to develop environmental benchmarks
Report argues that performance measurements would demonstrate how Canada’s agri-food industry is sustainable
Experts are calling for environmental targets to better position Canada in markets at home and abroad. Agri-Food Sustainability Targets is a report authored by David McInnes of DMci Strategies, who is working with Agriculture Canada, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and others to advance efforts in creating environmental benchmarks for the industry. “What’s happening globally […] Read more
