The federal cull program for breeding swine is moving into a second phase to spread out remaining funds across all provinces. The Canadian Pork Council, which operates the $50 million program, said Thursday that in this second phase, funds will go only to hog farmers in provinces that haven’t yet met the target of cutting […] Read more
Sow cull program to spread out funds
N.B. boosts ag investments in budget
The New Brunswick government plans to budget an extra $1 million for “strategic investments” in its agriculture and aquaculture sectors. Agriculture Minister Ron Ouellette announced the funds Thursday as part of the ag and aquaculture department’s $37.6 million ordinary, capital and loans advances accounts budget for 2008-09. “The additional funding of $1 million will help […] Read more
CGC cuts to cost farmers, ex-commissioners say
Former commissioners from the Canadian Grain Commission say cuts to farmer protection and grain quality programming will hurt farmers and Canada’s reputation for quality grain. In a press release Wednesday, former commissioner Albert Schatzke and ex-assistant commissioners Donna Welke and Bob Douglas presented a spending forecast from the federal government that describes the budget for […] Read more
Canola crusher inks supply deal with Viterra
A Toronto company proposing a new method for getting oil out of canola seed has reached a long-term canola supply deal with Viterra. Bio-Extraction Inc., also known as BioExx, said it plans to build a processing plant at Saskatoon using a process that it says will recover more quality oil than traditional solvent extraction or […] Read more
Leave workers’ comp coverage optional: KAP
Manitoba’s farmers shouldn’t have to take on mandatory coverage by the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), its general farm group said Wednesday. In a media commentary, Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Ian Wishart said the family farm is a “unique workplace” in comparison to almost all other industries and doesn’t warrant a “one-size-fits-all” approach to […] Read more
Feed supplement’s gain claim approved
Bio-Mos, a supplement for hog and poultry feeds, has picked up Canadian Food Inspection Agency approval for its claims on gain. The product’s manufacturer, U.S. animal feed firm Alltech, announced Wednesday that CFIA had approved its description for Bio-Mos, specifically: “Bio-Mos is a yeast cell wall supplement for swine, broiler and turkey feeds, improving efficiency […] Read more
Headline Duo goes dry
Headline Duo, a co-packaging of pyraclostrobin and boscalid fungicides to control resistant strains of ascochyta in chickpea crops, will have a dry formulation for the 2008 season. The product’s manufacturers, BASF Canada, announced Tuesday that Headline Duo’s dry formulation will have an “optimized ratio” of each active ingredient in a single jug. BASF first introduced […] Read more
Farmers’ role in offset trading seen hindered
While the success of a domestic emissions market in Canada may depend on farmer involvement, “unresolved issues” in the development of such a market may keep farmers from getting involved. That’s the observation in a new George Morris Centre report on emissions trading in Canadian agriculture, released Tuesday by the Guelph ag think tank. Cher […] Read more
Tomato prices boost Village Farms Q1
Strong selling prices and yields for its hothouse tomatoes have improved the first-quarter ledger for Vancouver greenhouse firm Village Farms. The income trust on Tuesday reported net income of $3.87 million (all figures US$) on $28.5 million in revenues during its Q1 ending March 31, up from $2.91 million on $24.4 million in the year-earlier […] Read more
Quebec pledges $10M for farm succession
In what he called the most ambitious plan of its kind in Canada, Quebec Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard has announced a five-year, $10 million program to support young people entering farming. The plan, announced Tuesday, includes measures aimed at supporting young farmers in the first five years following a farm transfer or the launch of […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
