Consumer attitudes toward food are changing, in some cases rapidly, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ujwal Arkalgud, a cultural anthropologist and board member with the United States Center for Food Integrity, said consumers are becoming more interested in shortening food supply chains and reducing the distance food travels. Those attitudes are not yet […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19 virus
Bibeau repeats plea to farmers to use existing BRM funds
Agriculture minister says it is difficult for her to obtain more government money if programs are not already accessed
Canada’s agriculture minister is asking farmers to help her to get more support money for them. To do that, they’ll need to use the money already in their business risk management accounts and show where it isn’t adequate, she warns. “If they are not accessing the programs that are available to them, it’s harder for […] Read more
Ag Canada field research may drop to 30 percent
Agriculture Canada plans to conduct field research at its research centres across Canada this year. But industry sources say it will likely be running at 30 percent of normal due to concerns over workplace safety and COVID-19. “The message we are getting from (Ag Canada) is that field activities at all research centres will be […] Read more
Expecting more from gov’t a mistake
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture really set the bar high with its recent $2.6 billion aid request. When a federal program barely worth $252 million was announced, the disappointment felt throughout the farming community wasn’t surprising. The funds were indeed underwhelming and won’t be enough to get some of those producers to stick around. Many […] Read more
More slaughter plants not the answer: Unrau
Former CCA leader has changed his mind about the benefits of increasing the number of packing facilities on the Prairies
About 15 years ago, Martin Unrau assumed that small slaughter plants made sense. If Western Canada had a number of beef processing plants scattered across the Prairies, they could benefit cattle producers and the beef industry. Then he became president of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and that completely changed […] Read more
Sask. aids cattle producers as backlog builds
Sector welcomes province’s decision to contribute to AgriRecovery funding and offset livestock insurance premium costs
Saskatchewan cattle producers say provincial funding announced May 14 will help them through uncertain COVID-19 markets, but the real fix would be a return to full slaughter capacity. Agriculture minister David Marit said the Saskatchewan government will contribute $5 million, or its 40-percent share, to the AgriRecovery program that Ottawa announced May 5. He also […] Read more
Auctions hold on through slowdown
Markets say cattle sales continue despite physical distancing measures and a slight drop in sales volume
It’s a surreal sight for auctioneer Rob Bergevin as he takes bids for cattle at Foothills Auctioneers in Stavely, Alta. He looks out at the tiered wooden stands that hold a maximum of 15 people, each sitting far apart. The public health restrictions on crowds and distancing make it so, but it’s a far cry […] Read more
New industrial policy urged
Canada needs to embrace and speed ahead with a focused industrial policy to defend against the threats of the new geopolitical cold war, a national think tank says. With COVID-19 accelerating trends that have shredded Canada’s previous and current approach to economic development and trade, developing an directed industrial policy needs to happen now. “The […] Read more
Is North America’s food supply system a disaster or a success story?
Under the stress of COVID-19 both the flaws and resiliency of the Canadian and U.S. food systems have become popular topics
Is our food system a disaster? Widespread food shortages on grocery store shelves make some think so. In the early days of COVID-19, when I saw empty shelves for some dairy products, flour and toilet paper I got pretty spooked about food security. When I heard about packing plants becoming rife with virus, hundreds of […] Read more
Trump asks for meat price probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Donald Trump said today he had urged the justice department to look into allegations that the meat-packing industry broke antitrust law because the price that slaughterhouses pay farmers for animals had dropped even as meat prices rose. “I’ve asked the justice department to look into it…. I’ve asked them to take […] Read more
