They weren’t shying away from the big issues at the recent Organic Connections conference here: one renowned sustainable farming expert declared the days of "cheap" energy to be coming to an end. "It’s not a question of exactly when we run out of oil, natural gas, or coal — it’s when it’s no longer going […] Read more
Organic farmers ponder the future of food
Man. flax processor Shape Foods in better shape
Manitoba flax processor Shape Foods has paid off the $114,000 it owed the City of Brandon for its 2010 tax bill, staving off a possible forced sale of the facility next month. "Every new company has some growing pains, and I wouldn’t have accepted this job if I didn’t see an exciting future for the […] Read more
Nationwide co-op pledges to pay more for lambs
Producer co-op to offer five-cent premium over Ont. price
Tell your story but keep it real: Grandin
Updated, June 1, 2012 — Livestock producers should harness the power of YouTube to counter the influence of animal rights activists in the consumer market, but they’ll want to ditch the spin and keep it real. That was the advice of renowned U.S. animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, delivered to a packed house at a […] Read more
Pork Council files claim over sow-cull funds
The Canadian Pork Council is seeking almost $1 million after a hog operation that received federal Cull Breeding Swine Program (CBSP) funding was allegedly put back into operation by new owners. A statement of claim, filed Feb. 7 in a Brandon, Man. court, names Westoba Credit Union, Crocus Country Pork and BDO Dunwoody Ltd. All […] Read more
CFIA lays charges over cattle shipments to U.S.
Three cattle operations and a veterinarian in western Manitoba have been charged for allegedly failing to accurately record ages of cattle shipped to the United States. Lisa Gauthier, a spokesperson for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said in an email that the charges under the Health of Animals Act and Regulations were approved by prosecutors […] Read more
Ritz to press CWB for interim no-cost buybacks
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has pledged to push the Canadian Wheat Board to allow no-cost buybacks for farmers who’d like to market grain ahead of the official end of the single desk. Ritz told the recent annual meeting of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association in Moose Haw that he would push for such […] Read more
Forage’s fortunes never looked brighter, conference hears
Everybody, it seems, wants forage and that had speakers at the recent Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference in Saskatoon questioning why it’s still an afterthought on many Prairie farms. “That’s one of the problems with our industry. We don’t recognize the importance of forage,” said Ed Shaw, owner of Alberta-based International Quality Forages, and […] Read more
Cattlemen backed to evaluate bovine TB test options
Funding for a new diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis in cattle that will be simpler and more cost-effective for regulatory agencies to administer was announced Tuesday by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. Nearly $320,000 has been set aside through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) to help the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association evaluate alternative bovine TB tests […] Read more
Cattle ease up on the gas in winter, study finds
Cattle emit less methane in the winter than in summer, a recent study has discovered. And now that the results have been sent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists will use it to develop a more accurate picture of the true contribution of ruminants to global warming. Previously, the IPCC had not […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
