While new to Canada, the strain of tuberculosis bacteria which infected the Alberta cow at the centre of a bovine TB probe has been seen before in Mexico. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday reported the strain of Mycobacterium bovis found in a southeastern Alberta cow is “closely related” to a strain originating from […] Read more
Bovine TB strain of Mexican origin in Alberta probe
Landowners’ rights and exploration
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Farmers’ Advocate Office has updated one of its key publications to help landowners understand their rights relating to geophysical exploration. Geophysical Exploration and Landowners’ Rights answers the five most common questions about geophysical exploration, including whether landowners can refuse permission for exploration on their land. (They can.) It also explains the notification process and […] Read more
Consumer concerns about meat are no fad
Animal welfare expert says livestock producers need to both ‘raise the bar’ and speak up about improvements they’re making
Reading Time: 3 minutes Global concerns about animal welfare are having an impact on meat purchasing, and the food industry needs to adapt to this new reality. “For the vast majority, price, taste and convenience have been key — but one of the issues that goes across the board now is transparency,” said Lesley Mitchell, international head of policy […] Read more
Ritchie Bros. buys Saskatchewan’s Kramer Auctions
One of the Prairies’ major farm auction houses has become part of the world’s biggest industrial auction firm. Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. announced Tuesday it has bought Kramer Auctions of North Battleford, Sask. for an undisclosed sum. The company, set up in 1949 by the late Eiling Kramer, today runs about 75 on-farm dispersal auctions, four […] Read more
Province ups funding for energy efficiency projects on farms
Farm groups welcome additional funding but say ‘work still needs to be done’ to reduce impact of carbon tax
Reading Time: 3 minutes After installing about 100 solar panels on their dairy barn, the Schuurman family has reduced their energy bill by 60 per cent. And they plan to drive it lower still. “My personal conviction is that I want to be sustainable long term — I believe in climate change, and I have an opportunity to change,” […] Read more
Bovine TB quarantines push into Saskatchewan
Two farms in southwestern Saskatchewan have been added to the list of those under federal quarantine as inspectors widen their search for cattle exposed to a new-to-Canada strain of bovine tuberculosis (TB). As of Thursday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it had “approximately 33” farms in Alberta and two in Saskatchewan under quarantine. The […] Read more
Canada’s canola meal sales to China at five-year high
Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters –– Canadian canola meal shipments to China have jumped to their highest level in five years, boosting profits of crush plants and firming prices as farmers slog through a difficult harvest. Canada shipped 415,000 tonnes of canola meal to China from January through August, the most since 2011 and following zero shipments […] Read more
A need for speed, making the farm safer, and less compaction
This year’s AgInnovation award winners bring three very different — but very valuable — things to the table
Reading Time: 5 minutes Innovation drives the agriculture industry and a lot of it is on display at Agri-Trade. “The technology is diversifying every year, and the ideas keep getting better,” said Rod Bradshaw, a vegetable and crop grower from Innisfail. He’s also chair of Agri-Trade’s ag innovations committee that chooses three products for its innovations awards. “We believe […] Read more
‘Start with your heart’ in order to win the trust of consumers
People want the facts on how their food is produced, but they want them from sources they know and trust, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s better to talk about the shared values that you have with a consumer than to start spouting facts. “We are not going to advertise our way to public trust,” Crystal Mackay of Guelph-based Farm and Food Care told an audience of ranchers, food executives and beef industry officials at the Global Conference on Sustainable […] Read more
World continues to digest Trump win
As the world continues to digest Donald Trump’s surprise win in the U.S. presidential election, in many ways it seems to be business as usual. After see-sawing at the open, North American equity markets logged surprisingly strong gains after most market participants were said to have priced in a Hillary Clinton victory. The U.S. dollar […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
