Okanagan producers adopt climate adaptation strategy

Agricultural producers and local governments in the Okanagan region are getting ready for the possibility of hotter, drier summers and different pest pressures under climate change. The B.C. Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative (CAI) brought agricultural producers together with local governments and provincial agencies to identify collaborative solutions and actions to adapt to the […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Report discusses disseminating agricultural research

The Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) says the next suite of Growing Forward programs should include funds dedicated to communicating about research to the general public. Its 2016 Conference Report (the Report), which summarizes the need for the agricultural sector to better disseminate research results to producers, farmers, industry, academia, consumers and among the research […] Read more


western rifles

History: Weapons That Won the West – Part 2

Reprinted from the February 1950 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Weapons That Won the West By D. R. King, High River, Alta. ‘Jonathan Browning and the Winchesters The year 1831 saw the very first repeating fire-arm to be manufactured in North America. Designed and hand-made by Jonathan Browning, it featured the same simplicity and ruggedness of construction which marks today’s models. His first successful repeater […] Read more

Purdue University researcher Bruce Applegate says the system could be tested to see if it works without pasteurization.  (Purdue Agriculture Communication photo/Tom Campbell)

Cool-temperature process extends milk shelf life

Rapid heating and cooling by 10 C

Purdue University researchers say they have developed a milk preservation system using a lower temperature than pasteurization, but providing a longer shelf life. The researchers found that increasing the temperature of milk by 10 C for less than a second and then cooling it rapidly eliminates more than 99 per cent of the bacteria left […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feds fund Canada Beef export promotion

$6.4 million over three years

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay has announced funding of up to $6.4 million over three years for Canada Beef Inc., the national agency for research and promotion. A government release said the funds will support Canadian Beef’s three-year market development and promotion plan targeting key regional hubs in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin […] Read more

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Triclosan not a threat to food chain: study

The University of Guelph and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association say that Triclosan does not pose a threat to the food chain or the environment. Triclosan is one of the most commonly used antimicrobials in personal health care products, such as soaps, shampoos and other sanitation goods. The study funded by the OSCIA […] Read more


Rye is the most susceptible to ergot, but it can also be in other cereals such as barley.
Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Be on the lookout for ergot

The Beef Cattle Research Council has posted a blog warning producers to be on the lookout for ergot this year. “Over the past few weeks, Mother Nature has provided us with the rain and cool conditions which have created the environment for ergot infections to occur. These cool, wet conditions have also increased flowering periods in […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Feds and province fund Maple Leaf bacon plant

The governments of Canada and Manitoba have announced funding of $500,000 toward an expansion of Maple Leaf Food’s bacon processing plant in Winnipeg. The announcement was made Monday at the plant by federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. A release said Maple Leaf Food’s investment in the bacon line expansion […] Read more