Livestock

The Turkey Farmers of Canada’s plans to update the course materials for their on-farm food safety program have picked up about $50,000 in federal funding. The turkey producers’ on-farm food safety (OFFS) program, based on hazard analysis of critical control points (HACCP) principles, identifies potential on-farm food safety hazards and provides producers with best management […] Read more

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has picked up a $6 million federal funding commitment to a research “cluster” for the beef industry. The funding, pledged Tuesday from the federal Agri-Innovations program, is on top of a pledge of almost $1.2 million from the CCA and almost $464,000 from “provincial government partners.” The Beef Cluster, as the […] Read more

Ontario’s agriculture minister has intervened against a provincial tribunal’s ruling that allowed hog farmers a “negative option” to sell hogs through a single marketing desk. Provincial legislation gives Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell the authority to “confirm, vary or rescind” a decision made by her ministry’s appeal tribunal or send it back for a new hearing, […] Read more

While Alberta’s fall surveillance program for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer has turned up fewer cases than last year’s, deer with the disease were found further south and west than previously detected. Hunters have submitted more than 4,800 wild deer heads for testing since Sept. 1, 2009, the province said in a release […] Read more

A storied southwestern Ontario dairy co-operative will use public funds to help buy processing equipment to make new snacks and specialty cheeses and boost its demand from local dairy farms. The province on Thursday pledged $100,000 from its rural economic development program for Pine River Cheese and Butter Co-operative of Kincardine to buy “state-of-the-art” equipment […] Read more

Lakeland College has picked up provincial approval to offer Alberta’s first and only veterinary medical assistant program. The one-year certificate program, with a target acceptance limit of eight students per year, will operate starting this fall at Lakeland’s Vermilion campus. “The veterinary medical assistant program is a great addition to our currently popular program offerings, […] Read more

A southeastern Ontario cheesemaker billed as the oldest in Canada has picked up public funding for a new system to reuse some of its waste water. Ivanhoe Cheese Co., which was launched in 1870 as a dairy farmers’ co-op at Ivanhoe, about 25 km north of Belleville, will get up to $377,000 from the province’s […] Read more

Another 93 bidders in the federally-funded hog farm transition program (HFTP) will share in its final allocation of $14.2 million to fold up their hog operations for at least three years. The Canadian Pork Council, which administers the HFTP on Ottawa’s behalf, reported Tuesday that 93 of 274 bids were accepted for the fourth tender, […] Read more