One positive development to come out of the COVID-19 disaster is the long overdue digitization of agricultural trade, say a number of people involved in the supply chain. Cargill and Agrocorp recently announced that they used a blockchain platform to complete a US$12 million wheat shipment from North America to Indonesia. The companies issued a […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19 virus
Feds noncommittal on request for aid
The agriculture industry is seeking an initial $2.6 billion in COVID-19 related emergency relief funding from the federal government. Canadian Federation of Agriculture officials requested it from the federal government late last week. According to second vice-president Chris van den Heuvel, federal officials asked the CFA to put hard numbers around the request. That prompted […] Read more
Packing crisis tightens grip on ranchers, retailers
WINNIPEG/LONDON (Reuters) — There is no room on the range for cattle as slaughterhouses across North America close because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving farmers nowhere to ship their animals. Now fast-food chain Wendy’s says it is running out of beef, while Kroger and Costco limit sales of some meat items, underlining the growing dislocation […] Read more
COVID-19 forces Ag in Motion to go digital
Ag in Motion will be a digital event July 21-25. Show organizers announced today that the gates cannot open safely to more than 30,000 visitors because of the risk of COVID-19. Safety is the number one concern for everyone involved with the annual agricultural show, guests and staff alike said Rob O’Connor, Ag in Motion […] Read more
Enhanced protocols in place for Alta. meat plants
The Alberta government says it’s continuing to monitor the health and safety of food processing employees after they’ve experienced some of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. The government said in a news release today that Alberta Health Services and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) have been visiting food processing facilities regularly and have […] Read more
Sask. unveils economic stimulus package
Saskatchewan today announced a $7.5 billion two-year capital plan as a way to help the province recover economically from COVID-19. However, only $2 billion of that is new money and much of the extra spending will come in 2021-22. The stimulus package includes the $2.7 billion in crown and executive government spending that was announced […] Read more
COVID-19 linked to Sask. dairy plant
Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Saputo dairy processing plant in Saskatoon. Scott Livingstone, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said May 5 that a single employee at a Saskatoon dairy facility tested positive. “At this time an active case investigation is underway, and based on that investigation there has […] Read more
Livestock groups ‘deeply disappointed’ in federal aid
Canada’s cattle and hog producers say new funding from Ottawa falls short of their expectations, causing them to continue to carry a heavy financial burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal funding provides $125 million through AgriRecovery for the pork and beef sectors, but the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said yesterday it is deeply disappointed by […] Read more
Manitoba farmers thank food supply workers
Keystone Agricultural Producers unveiled a new communications campaign this morning to thank the people who work in the food supply chain. The initiative, called Growing Manitoba Together, will feature stickers and a social media blitz. “In the coming days, we’ll be thanking the … Manitobans who are growing our province together,” KAP says in a […] Read more
Feds improve COVID-19 ag money, provinces hesitate
The federal government has further tweaked business risk management programs and injected new cash to assist producers facing financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government today announced changes to AgriStability, AgriRecovery and AgriProtection, as well as an additional $252 million in finance assistance. While producer organizations say the new money isn’t enough to […] Read more
