These mats woven from recycled tires are made to protect cattle from injury in high-traffic areas.

They have a mat for that

Double D's customers include packing plants, feedlots, ranches, and many other locations

Little did Dale Goetz know that his idea for weaving treads from old tires into mats to prevent cattle injuries in high-slip areas at the family’s feedlot would eventually become the footing for Double D Family Mat Shop as well. He established the mat shop in 1995, at first hand-cutting used tires to make anti-fatigue […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Hourly employees in agriculture among lowest paid

CNS Canada –– Hourly-wage employees in agriculture and related production were among the lowest earners nationally, according to data from Statistics Canada. The agency on Thursday released data on wages paid to payroll employees in 2016. It reported the average hourly wage paid to full-time employees, excluding overtime pay, tips, incentives and performance pay arrangements, […] Read more

(CNW Group/Ultima Foods)

Iogo maker to ramp up drinkable yogurt production

The yogurt-making joint venture of dairy co-ops Agropur and Agrifoods International plans to boost its drinkable yogurt output by adding another production line in Quebec’s Monteregie. Ultima Foods announced last week it will put up $10.8 million of its own funds plus a $3.6 million interest-free loan from Investissement Quebec, the investment arm of the […] Read more



Sea surface temperature anomalies over the Pacific for the week centred on May 31. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

U.S. forecaster sees El Nino unlikely through fall

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday said there are no active El Nino or La Nina patterns and that neutral conditions are likely in the Northern Hemisphere during fall 2017. However, chances for El Nino remain elevated, between 35 and 50 per cent, relative to the long-term average into the fall, the […] Read more


Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay (l) and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue meet in Toronto on June 5. (Government of Canada photo)

U.S. asks Canada to end ‘underhanded’ dairy pricing class

Reuters — The United States has asked Canada to eliminate a new “underhanded” dairy-pricing class that has undercut sales by U.S. dairies to Canadian processors, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Monday. Perdue was speaking to reporters after he met with Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay in Toronto. Canada’s dairy farmers last year struck a […] Read more

(Staff photo)

Federal food policy consultations underway

The long-discussed-and-debated notion of a public pan-Canadian food policy has taken a move forward with a new online survey from the federal government. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday announced an initial round of consultations and called on the public to “share their input to help shape a food policy that will cover the entire […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Ontario minimum wage increases concern farmers

Changes to the way labour is regulated and paid for in Ontario will have detrimental effects on farm profitability, say farm organizations. Premier Kathleen Wynne and Labour Minister Kevin Flynn announced the changes this week, outlining the proposed legislation after a review of the acts that govern labour in Ontario was completed. The largest impact […] Read more

Deere and Co. plans to pay about US$4.9 billion for German manufacturer Wirtgen Group, whose WR250 soil stabilizer is shown here. (Wirtgen.de)

Deere to buy German road construction firm

Reuters — Deere + Co. said on Thursday it would buy privately held German company Wirtgen Group for about US$4.88 billion to expand its road construction operations as it looks to cut down its dependence on its slowing farm business. Deere’s share rose 3.1 per cent to US$126.29 in premarket trading, and were set to […] Read more