Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s federal accounts court, the TCU, said it had identified irregularities on loans to JBS SA, the world’s largest beef producer, and is deepening an investigation into the company’s relationship with state-run lender BNDES. The TCU is probing loans used to purchase U.S.-companies Swift and Co, for about US$225 million […] Read more
Brazil court probing state-backed loans to JBS
Australia blocks foreign firm’s deal for largest farm owner
Sydney | Reuters –– Australia on Thursday blocked the sale of the country’s largest landowner, private farming group S. Kidman and Co., to foreign investors, saying an agricultural area the size of South Korea should remain in Australian hands. Ownership of farmland is a sensitive political issue in Australia amid concerns that foreign buyers are […] Read more
New ‘superbug’ gene found in animals, people in China
London | Reuters — A new gene that makes bacteria highly resistant to a last-resort class of antibiotics has been found in people and pigs in China — including in samples of bacteria with epidemic potential, researchers said Wednesday. The discovery was described as “alarming” by scientists, who called for urgent restrictions on the use […] Read more
New Safety Smarts instructor in Peace Country
Reading Time: < 1 minute Carla Richard is the new Safety Smarts instructor at the Farm Safety Centre in Peace Country. The Safety Smarts program teaches rural children from kindergarten to Grade 6 how to recognize and react safely to a wide variety of potential farm hazards. “The program has been running since 1998 and this year it will reach a […] Read more
Workshop series for exporters
Export Readiness Workshop Series takes place Nov. 23-24 in Edmonton and Nov. 25-26 in Calgary
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Export Readiness Workshop Series takes place Nov. 23-24 at Agri-Food Discovery Place in Edmonton and Nov. 25-26 at the Calgary Economic Development’s Global Centre. The workshops are targeted at companies wanting to start exporting or move into new export markets. The two-day program includes training on building an export plan, including market research and […] Read more
Rookie MP named Bloc’s agriculture critic
The Bloc Quebecois has tapped a rookie Montreal-area MP from its expanded 10-member caucus to serve as its new critic for agriculture and agri-food. Simon Marcil won the newly created riding of Mirabel in last month’s election by a spread of 837 votes over Mylene Freeman, the incumbent NDP MP for Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel and the party’s […] Read more
Beverly Yee new deputy minister for agriculture
Reading Time: < 1 minute A former assistant deputy minister in municipal affairs is now Alberta’s chief agricultural bureaucrat. Beverly Yee is the new deputy minister for agriculture and forestry, replacing Jason Krips. Yee, who has worked for the province since 1994, has held several executive management positions. Her most recent posting was as assistant deputy minister for municipal affairs, […] Read more
Our future Canadian farm leaders need to network
There is incredible diversity in the ag sector and great benefit in sharing ideas with farmers in other sectors
Reading Time: 3 minutes If we are to spread our wings in agriculture, it is often a good idea to look around. We gain an appreciation of the whole of agriculture if we look at all of it, rather than be limited to our sector. There are many good examples of how commitment can bring something into the mainstream. […] Read more
A Liberal ‘fix’ for temporary foreign worker program may be elusive
New government’s pledge to help beleaguered meat processors will be a tough sell
Reading Time: 3 minutes The new Liberal government has vowed to fix the broken federal temporary foreign worker program for Canada’s beleaguered meat processors — but that may not be enough. Despite “endless” domestic recruitment and a seven per cent unemployment rate in Canada, the country’s meat industry is still short about 1,000 workers. And the situation “just gets […] Read more
Foreign worker program a paperwork jungle
The temporary foreign worker program can be tough for farmers to navigate without help
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want to hire temporary foreign workers for your agricultural operation, get ready to do some serious paperwork. The “most challenging component” of the program is something called a labour market impact assessment, immigration consultant Martine Varekamp-Bos said at the recent Ag Labour Summit. The intent of the program, managed by Service Canada, is […] Read more