Canada’s beef cattle industry moves into the second year of the pandemic in pretty good shape, says a leading agricultural economist. “After a year of adjusting to the shocks associated with COVID-19, the Canadian cattle and beef sector faces a relatively optimistic future,” writes James Rude of the University of Alberta in the Canadian Journal […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19 virus
Small packers called unlikely
The pandemic created many calls for smaller regional plants to reduce Canada’s dependence on two huge plants to provide the country’s beef. But the reality of the COVID-19 impact is that smaller plants are likely to be at an even bigger disadvantage than today, says a cattle industry economist. “Mandated changes to protect the health […] Read more
Malt barley buyers count on reliable supply
Plummeting beer sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic put a cap on prices, even while those paid for feed barley skyrocket
Farmers and maltsters are not anticipating a dearth of malt barley this year despite sky-high feed barley prices. “I always find that guys who grow malt barley tend to stick to it,” said Leroy Newman, an Alberta Barley board member. He will not be switching to growing feed barley on his farm near Blackie, Alta., […] Read more
Pork sector praised for adjusting to pandemic
Production was four percent higher than 2019, which showed processors’ ability to keep operating despite the challenges
Canada’s pork industry survived the shock, the shutdowns, the disruptions and the costs of the first year of COVID-19 and had a good year — overall. But expect to see some changes in the post-COVID industry, says a team of University of Guelph researchers. “The implementation of labour-saving technology … will be spurred by the […] Read more
Letter writing helps ease the pandemic blues
The project matched a senior with a Grade 6 student, who was given time in class to write a letter to his or her pen pal
I was hesitant to pick up the senior’s package at the local library fearing that it would contain pictures to colour and notices about activities I could get involved in. I have difficulty embracing retirement and being a senior, in that order. The cover page of the package, however, drew me in — one of […] Read more
Ability to make decisions rapidly called rural strength
Rural politicians point to ‘nimble’ municipalities being able to ‘pivot’ to do what is needed for survival and mitigation
Necessity is the mother of invention, and rural Canada knows about both necessity and invention, a group of rural panelists agree. It has to be agile and innovative to get things done. “Rural municipalities have this great advantage and that is that we’re nimble,” said David Mitchell, mayor of Bridgewater, N.S. “We tend to be […] Read more
Food companies anxious to get back to the office
Canada’s protein processors and their workers didn’t miss much work in 2020 and the first few months of 2021. Regardless of temporary plant shutdowns and office lockdowns, Canada’s food companies kept working, with white collar employees moving their operations off-site to home offices. They hardly seemed to miss a beat. But some of Manitoba’s big […] Read more
Canadians won’t work on farms: survey
About three million Canadians lost their jobs last spring as COVID-19 forced thousands of businesses to shut their doors or lay off staff. Many farmers needed employees last spring and summer, but few Canadians applied for farm jobs, despite record levels of unemployment across the country. A survey of farm operators has found that 41 […] Read more
Grain movement needs to get better
Build back better. It’s a catchy slogan adopted by the United Nations, Canada and other countries and it’s a good idea. Throughout the pandemic, the Canadian agriculture and food industry has shown it is more than up to the task. But without the right practices, policies and infrastructure in place, it is becoming increasingly clear […] Read more
Flight cancellations threaten bee supplies
Eighty percent of the bees honey producers expected this year from New Zealand won’t arrive due to Air Canada changes
Changes to airline flight schedules have jeopardized Canadian honey production and pollination services. Commercial beekeepers and hobbyists have pre-ordered 50 pallets of bees from New Zealand, enough to supply about 30,000 hives, but Air Canada flight alterations and cancellations could mean only seven or eight pallets arrive in time for use this year. Instead of […] Read more
