Reading Time: 4 minutes Dairy farmers Dieter Gagelmans and Geoff Volkman decided to take the plunge into cover crops last year for a simple reason — to improve the farm’s productivity Gagelmans, originally from Belgium, is taking over Volkman’s farm in a non-familial succession. “I knew I was going to take on tremendous debt and the only way to […] Read more
Dairy farmers explore new path forward with cover crops
Taking the plunge can be scary but there are multiple benefits that can be gained, they say
Agropur cheese plant workers take deal, halt strike
Milk not taken at Granby, Que. plant for over five weeks
Milk delivery to a major cheese plant in Eastern Canada is expected to resume soon as unionized employees at dairy co-operative Agropur’s facility at Granby, Que. end a five-and-a-half-week strike. The plant’s 250-odd workers, represented by the Syndicat des salaries de la fromagerie — an arm of Centrale des syndicats democratiques (CSD) — have voted […] Read more
Indonesia’s foot-and-mouth outbreak prompts international measures
'Viral fragments' detected in meats brought into Australia
Reuters — Australia and New Zealand say they’ve stepped up protections against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at their international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the […] Read more
P.E.I. finance minister moves to ag file
Darlene Compton named agriculture minister in shuffle
Prince Edward Island’s deputy premier now handles the provincial agriculture file following a cabinet shuffle Friday. Premier Dennis King has named Darlene Compton, MLA for the riding of Belfast-Murray River, as minister of agriculture and land, justice and public safety minister and attorney general, replacing Stanhope-Marshfield MLA Bloyce Thompson. Thompson, who had handled the ag […] Read more
New CEO named for Canadian Dairy Commission
The Canadian Dairy Commission has hired from within for its new chief executive. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced Benoit Basillais, the CDC’s director of policy and economics, became the Crown corporation’s new CEO effective Monday. Basillais replaces Serge Riendeau, the dairy producer and former Agropur Co-operative president who’s been the CDC’s chief […] Read more
CUSMA leaders to discuss agreement during Mexico visit
Mexico City | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss terms of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) agreement, which was ratified in 2018, during a visit to Mexico, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday. “We’ll have a summit to discuss terms of the trade agreement treaty… in Mexico,” […] Read more
Health Canada to slap warning labels on sugary, salty and fatty foods
Ottawa | Reuters – Foods high in sugars, sodium and saturated fat will come with clear warning labels in Canada starting in 2026, the federal government said on Thursday, in an effort to promote healthier eating choices and reduce chronic health risks. “We know that it’s not always easy to make healthy choices,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told […] Read more
Vacancies put vet clinics in ‘near crisis’ situation
More funding, more vet and vet technologist training won’t fix problem overnight, warns the AVMA
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a major shortage of veterinary professionals in Alberta causing long wait times for routine livestock medical procedures. There are more than 840 veterinarian and veterinary technologist vacancies in Alberta — a “near-crisis” situation that poses a risk in terms of animal welfare, livestock production and public health, the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association said in […] Read more
Agropur backs major upgrades for Nova Scotia ice cream plant
Dairy co-op puts up $34M to 'redefine space' at Truro
Major dairy co-operative Agropur is putting up eight figures to upgrade an ice cream and frozen novelties plant it owns in Nova Scotia to handle new premium product lines. The co-operative said June 17 it will invest $34 million in the former Scotsburn plant at Truro, to “redefine the space within the plant (and) support […] Read more
Mid-year farm gate price hike approved for milk
Processors say incremental hike may soften impact on consumers
A request from Canada’s dairy farmer organization for an unscheduled increase in the current farm gate price for milk, to help farmers catch up with steep rises in their costs of production, has been granted. The Canadian Dairy Commission said Tuesday it will recommend that the farm gate price for milk be increased effective Sept. […] Read more
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