Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s SPCA has launched a campaign to help animal owners who may be running low on feed because of the pandemic. “The program is designed to help people keep their animals on their property,” said Dan Kobe, communications manager for the Alberta Society for Protection of Cruelty to Animals. “We don’t expect we’ll hear from […] Read more
SPCA helping Alberta’s rural residents feed their animals
‘Help for Animals’ is aimed at providing food for horses, livestock and pets so owners can keep them on their property
Cattle feeders need ‘urgent’ help, say industry officials
Slowdowns at Alberta’s two big packing plants is already affecting sales of market-ready cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes With Alberta’s big two beef packers reducing production, there’s an urgent need for government support for cattle feeders, say industry officials. Both Cargill and JBS Canada have cancelled second shifts at their Alberta locations after some workers tested positive for COVID-19. And that means a big drop in the number of cattle being processed, said […] Read more
Third major Alberta beef plant confirms COVID-19 cases
JBS in Brooks is the latest with infected workers, but will continue operations
UPDATED, April 17 — Cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed at three of Alberta’s major beef packing plants. Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday at the JBS beef packing plant in Brooks, said Tom Hesse, Local 401 president with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada. JBS Canada spokesman Cameron Bruett confirmed some […] Read more
Foreign workers starting to arrive, livestock group says
About 2,000 have recently arrived, several thousand more here soon, feeders say
About 2,000 foreign workers have arrived in Canada in recent weeks and more should be here soon, an official with the National Cattle Feeders Association says. “There are about 4,000 more that are expected to arrive shortly, so the process is starting to work,” Janice Tranberg, the association’s president and CEO, said during a telephone […] Read more
Producers urged to contact AFSC about unharvested acres
The crop insurer understands that many farmers will need a quick decision, says Alberta Wheat chair
Reading Time: 2 minutes The province’s crop commissions are urging producers to call their local Agricultural Financial Services Corporation office to get their unharvested acres examined. “The message from AFSC was that they were going to be flexible and work with farmers of unharvested grain,” said Alberta Wheat chair Todd Hames. “We would encourage farmers to be pro-active in […] Read more
Cattle producers press for lower price insurance premiums
WLPIP is needed, but unused because premiums too expensive, CCA says
The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is not functioning properly due to very high premiums and needs to be quickly revamped, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re having unprecedented volatility for markets. Having tools in place for farmers and ranchers has never been more important,” executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft said during a telephone town hall […] Read more
Plummeting french fry sales have potato growers re-evaluating
Restaurant closures slash demand, though 'chip sales have been great'
French fry sales are down across North America as tens of thousands of restaurants have closed during COVID-19, meaning the potato industry has to adapt quickly. Companies that turn potatoes into french fries, wedges and hash browns are slowing down, because there isn’t enough space to store all the frozen product. In Alberta and Manitoba, […] Read more
Keeping up is hard to do during these trying times
But here are some key information sources and some of the many news stories dealing with the pandemic
Reading Time: 4 minutes Even if you weren’t calving or getting ready to seed — and had good internet — it would be hard to keep up with all the developments affecting your farm or ranch during the pandemic. Here is a partial list of advisories and new stories at press time (March 31). Government The provincial government has […] Read more
Beef demand soars as consumers ‘aggressively’ stock up
Surge in sales accompanied by a jump in people looking online for recipes
Canada’s beef demand has been strong during the pandemic. “Unlike previous disease outbreak issues, COVID-19 has not been about food safety or consumer confidence or issues with food products,” Canada Beef president Michael Young said during a recent online town hall. “Beef demand at retail is up 50 to 70 per cent. Consumers have aggressively […] Read more
Canada’s pork sector up to speed, aware of challenges
Processing plants enhancing biosecurity; producers being urged to watch their stress levels
They’re adding protective plexiglass shields, bringing in trailers to separate groups of workers, and boosting communication on biosecurity. It’s all part of an ongoing effort to ensure pork processing plants aren’t disrupted by COVID-19. “I’m very impressed by our packers, and for the workers for coming to work every day and being there and realizing […] Read more
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