Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Geopolitics is again shaping the international scene, including China, Jason Shapiro explained here Thursday at the Grain World conference. Geopolitics, he said, resulted in catastrophic global wars and generated very little peace for close to a century. Shapiro, director of analysis for Geopolitical Futures — an Austin, Tex.-based international risk analysis […] Read more
Grain World: Geopolitics is back dominating global relations
KFC tests plant-based ‘fried chicken’ in Ontario
Fast-food chicken chain KFC is collecting feedback from a one-day, one-store test of a new Canadian-made plant-based “fried chicken” product for the Canadian market. The Canadian arm of the Yum Brands-owned chain set up a “limited” test run for what it calls KFC Plant-Based Fried Chicken at its 6055 Creditview Rd. store in Mississauga, Ont. […] Read more
What we can do to address the shortage of large-animal vets
More spots in veterinary schools and more support for new grads would go a long way
Reading Time: 4 minutes After talking with large-animal veterinarians, observing the number of ads for large-animal veterinarians, and taking part in a job fair at the University of Calgary’s vet school, it’s clear that there is getting to be a real shortage of veterinarians wanting to do either mixed- or large-animal practice in Western Canada. But strategies are starting […] Read more
Keep your Premises Identification account up to date
Premises ID has proved its worth since being created 11 years ago
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province is urging smaller operations with livestock (such as hobby farms and acreages) to register for the Premises Identification (PID) System and for all operations to keep their account information current. Since it was started 11 years ago, more than 45,500 premises have been registered with the system, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry said in […] Read more
Bloc Quebecois president tapped as party’s ag critic
The Bloc Quebecois will head into the House of Commons next month with a new critic handling the agriculture portfolio. Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has named Yves Perron, the rookie MP for Berthier-Maskinonge, as the party’s critic for agriculture, agri-food and supply management. As the Bloc’s ag critic, Perron replaces Mirabel MP Simon Marcil, who […] Read more
Brazil gets approval for 13 meatpacking plants for China exports
Sao Paulo | Brazil | Reuters – Chinese authorities approved new Brazilian meat exporting plants on Tuesday, according to the Brazilian agriculture ministry, a highly anticipated move as the two nations continue to strengthen trade ties. The approvals come as China seeks to increase meat imports to compensate for the death of around half of […] Read more
China reshapes global meat markets as swine fever rages
London | Beijing | Reuters – China is scouring the world for meat to replace the millions of pigs killed by African swine fever (ASF), boosting prices, business and profits for European and South American meatpackers as it re-shapes global markets for pork, beef and chicken. The European Union, the world’s second largest pork producer […] Read more
China, France sign deals worth $15 bln during visit
Beijing | Reuters – China and France signed contracts totalling $15 billion during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron, a Chinese government official told a news briefing on Wednesday. Deals were struck in the fields of aeronautics, energy and agriculture, including approval for 20 French companies to export poultry, beef and pork to China. They also agreed to expand […] Read more
Northlands strikes a balance for Farmfair 2019
Farmfair organizers attempt to boost urban visitors while staying true to the show’s roots
Reading Time: 4 minutes With a new focus on attracting urban audiences, Farmfair International’s organizers are offering new kinds of programming while keeping old fans happy. The first step was thinking beyond cattle. Farmfair 2019, which runs Nov. 6-10 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, features programming dedicated to smaller critters such as bees, rabbits and urban chickens — not […] Read more
Spare a thought for those who process our food
The business, economics, and practices of the food-processing sector shouldn’t be hidden out of sight
Reading Time: 3 minutes I have been on slaughter and food-processing floors all over the world — vegetables, beef, pork, poultry, lamb, bison, elk, fruit, bake floors and many things in between. Usually women work in these food plants, silent and relentlessly focused while working on raised catwalks as their male supervisors stand behind them. This is not only […] Read more