Canadian farmland values continued to climb during the first half of 2020, according to an interim valuation review by agricultural lender Farm Credit Canada. But the appreciation rate is not as rapid as it was a few years ago. Across Canada, farmland values rose on average by 3.7 percent during the first six months of […] Read more
News
Consumers are cheap, but they’re willing to eat local foods – if it’s easy
Consumers want to buy locally-produced food – but for most people it has to be cheap and easy to find. It has to be really easy to find. And as cheap as non-local food. Those, to me, are the most apparent insights from a major survey of consumers recently conducted by Sylvain Charlebois and colleagues […] Read more
Hog feed firms join forces
Nutrition Athena Inc. and Nutrition Partners Inc. have joined forces within the swine feed and nutrition business. The two companies announced the new partnership Oct. 8. Nutrition Athena is a division of Groupe Ceres Inc., a Quebec-based firm that influences the feeding of more than 4.5 million pigs annually. It is the lead nutrition partner […] Read more
Indigenous college to be rebuilt after fire
Red Crow Community College will rise again in coming years through $48 million in funds contributed by the federal government, Kainai and the college itself. The previous building in Standoff, Alta., burned down in 2015 but on Oct. 8 the provincial and federal governments announced construction of a new 9,888 sq. metre campus in southern […] Read more
Ag Notes
Aherne Prize entry deadline looms The entry deadline for the Banff Pork Seminar’s Aherne Prize is Oct. 31. Named after research leader Frank Aherne, the contest is open to owners, production managers, herdspeople, consultants, or anyone who has developed an innovation relevant to the North American pork industry. More contest details are at banffpork.ca. Dairy […] Read more
COVID-19 hits Manitoba poultry plant
A poultry plant in southeastern Manitoba has 27 workers with COVID-19. One employee who contracted the virus has died. The cases are at the Exceldor plant in Blumenort, Man., southeast of Winnipeg. Exceldor is a Quebec co-operative that now controls Granny’s Poultry, a well-known brand in Manitoba. The first case of COVID-19 was detected at […] Read more
Alberta Beef Industry Conference postponed
Another annual gathering of cattle and beef producers has been postponed because of the pandemic. The Alberta Beef Industry Conference, previously planned for March 2021, has been postponed to March 2022. The 2020 meeting was held last March, just before COVID-19 postponements and cancellations began. The event typically involves several cattle and beef organizations including […] Read more
Potato yields drop in 2020
Canadian potato production will decline this year, possibly by six percent or more. A hot and dry summer, especially in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, cut into potato yields across the country. Last year, Canadian farmers produced 106.4 million hundredweight of potatoes. The 2020 crop could be around 100 million cwt. “The biggest decrease in […] Read more
Man. company looking for grass-fed beef
Duane Vaags is looking for grass-fed cattle — everywhere and anywhere he can find them. Vaags started a new job this fall, working as the grass-fed beef program auditor for True North Foods, a federally licensed packing plant in Carman, Man. Recently, a major buyer approached True North’s owner, Calvin Vaags, with a request. “The […] Read more
Alberta temporarily freezes municipal taxes on energy sector
After hitting the pause button on plans to help Alberta’s oil and gas companies by reducing taxes levied by rural municipalities, the provincial government said it has come up with a solution that will help both sides. “I feel with our decision today, we have balanced the needs of both municipalities and the oil and […] Read more
