Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld kept his seat by a wide margin in the Progressive Conservatives’ first election under Premier Ed Stelmach. Stelmach, a former agriculture minister in the Ralph Klein government, led his party to capture 72 of 83 seats in Monday’s election, up from 60 when the election was called Feb. 4. Groeneveld, […] Read more
Alta. ag minister, critic re-elected
Manitoba closes gate into “hog alley”
Manitoba’s provincial government has indefinitely extended a moratorium on new or expanded hog operations in the province’s main livestock corridor and points north. The decision, which drew immediate criticism from the province’s hog producers’ group, follows the long-awaited release Monday of the provincial Clean Environment Commission’s (CEC) report on the environmental sustainability of Manitoba’s hog […] Read more
Family choice trumps price among meats: study
Early data from an ongoing consumer purchasing study shows meat purchases to be driven most often by whether the entire family will like the product chosen. The data, outlined briefly Monday in a joint release from Canada’s pork, lamb, veal and chicken producers’ groups, showed that while “price” and “value for money” are important in […] Read more
CN to challenge grain revenue cap
Canadian National Railway (CN) plans to go to court to try to appeal a substantial cut in the cap on railways’ grain handling revenue for 2007-08. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which caps the amount of revenue CN and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) can keep from handling Prairie grain, on Feb. 19 announced a reduction […] Read more
Tories’ bill bids to re-open CWB Act
The federal government has brought forward a bill that, if passed, could restore Ottawa’s hand at the levers of Canadian Wheat Board marketing policy. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Monday introduced an end-run around the Canadian Wheat Board Act’s much-discussed section 47.1 — the section that currently blocks Ritz from adding or removing Prairie wheat […] Read more
Barley legislation on tap next week: Ritz
Amendments to the federal Canadian Wheat Board Act and related statutes to deregulate Prairie barley marketing will be introduced in the House of Commons “early next week,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Friday. “This bill will deliver on our Throne Speech commitment and will bring barley marketing freedom to the strong and growing majority of […] Read more
Que., N.S. orchards get renovation funds
Orchard and vineyard owners in Quebec and Nova Scotia will get federal funding to pull outdated trees and vines in favour of new varieties. The federal government on Friday announced $5.6 million on top of the Quebec government’s $12 million toward an orchards and vineyards transition program in that province. Ottawa will put up $2.3 […] Read more
Ont. wheat growers help lure cake maker
Ontario’s provincial government will put up $2.5 million for a major B.C. frozen dessert maker to build a new plant at London, Ont. with help from the provincial wheat growers’ board. The Original Cakerie, which bills itself as Canada’s largest privately owned dessert company, expects to complete its new plant by January next year, employing […] Read more
Commons passes advance payment changes
Legislative changes that could boost federal advance payments available to cash-strapped livestock producers as soon as late March made their way quickly into law Thursday. The House of Commons, Senate and Governor General by Thursday had all approved amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Products Act that “will provide improved cash flow to all commodity groups; […] Read more
B.C. names farm assessment review panel
With a panel in place, public consultations on what defines a farm for municipal tax purposes in British Columbia are expected to start early this summer, the province announced Friday. Revenue Minister Rick Thorpe on Friday named the remaining members of the farm assessment review panel, which is expected to file its report and recommendations […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
