Washington | Reuters –– The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) on Monday will announce revised nutrition standards dramatically boosting average food stamp benefits, the agency confirmed Sunday. The New York Times first reported the plan to unveil the largest permanent benefits increase in the history of the government’s primary anti-hunger program, saying the change would result […] Read more
U.S. confirms will boost food stamps by record amount
Anthrax kills southeastern Saskatchewan sheep
Spores forced up by changes in soil moisture
Dramatic shifts in soil moisture are again bringing anthrax spores to the surface on the Prairies, this time in a southeastern Saskatchewan sheep pasture. Lab results on Wednesday confirmed anthrax as the cause of death of one animal in a flock of sheep in the R.M. of South Qu’Appelle, about 50 km east of Regina, […] Read more
U.S. ag secretary backs proposed meatpacking investigator
Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposal to establish a special investigator to address concerns about anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries. Republican U.S. Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana have proposed legislation […] Read more
Albertans urged to squeal on wild pigs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Anyone spotting wild boars is asked to report the sighting to the Alberta Invasive Species Council, which has launched a campaign called Squeal on Pigs. Anyone who sees the wild pigs or comes across damage they have caused is urged to either call 310-FARM, email [email protected], or use the EDDMaps app (Early Detection and Distribution […] Read more
China reports first human case of H10N3 bird flu
Strain 'not a very common virus'
Beijing | Reuters — A 41-year-old man in China’s eastern province of Jiangsu has been confirmed as the first human case of infection with a rare strain of bird flu known as H10N3, Beijing’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday. Many different strains of bird flu are present in China and some sporadically infect […] Read more
Feather sector’s on-farm upgrade program underway
Applications now being accepted for funding
The federal free trade compensation program to help Canada’s poultry and egg producers pay for on-farm upgrades, renovations and improvements is now taking applications. The $646.8 million, 10-year Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program (PEFIP) is now formally underway, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Monday. Each eligible Canadian producer is entitled to an amount proportional […] Read more
Eastern drought zones set for livestock tax deferrals
Regions designated in P.E.I., N.S., N.B., Quebec
In a decision that may have come late for some, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and parts of southeastern Quebec and northwestern Nova Scotia have been declared drought zones for eligible livestock producers’ 2020 tax purposes. The federal government on Monday released its list and map of prescribed drought regions where tax deferral on sales […] Read more
New antimicrobial resistance doc shows the good — and the scary
Video highlights the gains that have been made and reasons why the fight isn’t over
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’ve ever worried about superbugs and want to scare yourself, check out a new documentary from an unexpected source: the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. Early in the 28-minute video — a largely upbeat and lushly filmed doc about antimicrobial resistance — is a clip from the Harvard Medical School. It shows an experiment conducted […] Read more
Schoepp: To sustain is one thing, to regenerate is something else
Sustainable agriculture has been a step forward but it is not the end of the journey
Reading Time: 3 minutes For the past decade the focus on food and farming has been on sustainable systems. To be sustainable means to meet production needs without compromising the future, particularly our future natural resources. To farm sustainably is to ‘do no further harm’ or to maintain the current balance and to accept a level of accountability for […] Read more
Ontario’s RMP rolling out ‘later than usual’
Details pending, Agricorp says
Ontario farmers’ coverage under the provincial Risk Management Program (RMP) won’t be affected by ‘a bit later’ rollout this spring, the program’s handlers say. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, reiterated in a statement Tuesday that the RMP “will be available in 2021 (and) program details will be shared with customers as soon as […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
