Winnipeg | Reuters — Production of Canada’s biggest crop, canola, has expanded rapidly in recent years amid strong demand for the vegetable oil it produces. But the other processed canola product, meal, takes a backseat to U.S. soymeal to feed certain livestock, due to a reduced protein level. Seed developer DowDuPont hopes to change that […] Read more
DowDuPont bets on canola in race to boost plant proteins
Greig: Why IBV is such a tough bug
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) continues to find ways to keep itself relevant to poultry farmers, researchers and veterinarians across North America — much to their dismay. Why it matters: Despite lots of research and efforts to find ways to manage it, the virus continues to mutate and show up in flocks with different symptoms in […] Read more
Heritage chicken program at the U of A continues to grow
Program brings heritage genetics into small flocks and supports university’s breeding efforts
Reading Time: 2 minutes The eggs came first, but the chickens are really coming on strong for the University of Alberta’s heritage breed program. The Poultry Research Centre’s ‘Adopt a Hen’ program has been running for many years and is an unqualified hit. Starting with 175 supporters, there are now 504 participants in the Edmonton area, and a waiting […] Read more
It’s a new era when it comes to livestock medication
Don’t wait until the new rules go into effect in December — the time to get ready is now
Reading Time: 3 minutes Having a professional relationship with your veterinarian has never been more important. New regulations passed by Health Canada that come into effect Dec. 1 will require that all medically important antimicrobials (MIA) — including those that are injected, dissolved in water, fed in feed, or administered as a bolus — will need a prescription. Just […] Read more
Supreme Court finds for provinces in ‘Free the beer’ case
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s top court on Thursday ruled against a New Brunswick man who had argued he had the constitutional right to buy beer more cheaply in a neighbouring province, saying that the law does not impose absolute free trade across the country. Dubbed the “free the beer” case in Canadian media, it […] Read more
Cargill to replace chicken plant’s stunning system
Agrifood firm Cargill has budgeted $22 million to swap out an electric stunning system at its London, Ont. chicken processing plant in favour of a new controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system. The CAS system, expected to be up and running this spring, “will help reduce handling stress with chickens, resulting in a higher-quality, more consistent […] Read more
CFIA seeks ‘fundamental change’ in chicken processing
Canada’s chicken processors have a year to make plant-level changes to cut the risk of salmonella infection from frozen raw breaded chicken goods. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said March 12 it will require processors to identify salmonella as a hazard likely to occur in these products — and to “implement changes in order to […] Read more
New directors elected to Egg Farmers’ board
Reading Time: < 1 minute Egg Farmers of Alberta held elections at its recent AGM for two spots on its board. Bernadette Vandenborn was elected as a director while Peter Waldner was re-elected to the board. The 2018 board elected Beatrice Visser as chair and past chair Susan Schafers is now vice-chair. Other members of the board are Joe Kleinsasser […] Read more
Premium Brands set to buy three meat processors
A pair of Ontario meat processors with “iconic” brands in Canada are among four firms to be picked up on the most recent shopping expedition by specialty food firm Premium Brands. Vancouver-based Premium announced Friday it will pay a total of $227 million in cash, shares and promissory notes for four companies: Concord Premium Meats, […] Read more
The stereotypical organic consumer doesn’t exist anymore
Alberta has the highest proportion of organic consumers of any province in the country
Reading Time: 3 minutes If newspaper headlines are to be believed, millennials have already killed the paper napkin industry, department stores, and beer (somehow). Could conventional agriculture be next? Nah. All the generations are working on that one, says an organic industry official. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a millennial, Gen X, or baby boomer — across the board, […] Read more