Livestock
Consolidation and restructuring in its meat business, plus improved sales following the 2008 listeriosis scare in cold cuts, has led Maple Leaf Foods back to net profit in its 2009 books. The Toronto food processing giant on Wednesday reported net earnings of $21.92 million on $1.32 billion in sales in its fourth quarter (Q4) ending […] Read more
Maple Leaf finishes 2009 in black in listeria’s wake
Hog loan loss reserve program deadline extended
Hog farmers have been given over three extra weeks to apply for loans under the federally-backed hog industry loan loss reserve program. And the federal government has also agreed to shoulder more of the risk for program loans in cases where the money is headed toward repayment of federal advances. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on […] Read more
GrainWorld: U.S. cattle prices to improve
(Resource News International) — Slaughter and feeder cattle values in the U.S. should see some improvement over the next two years, although strong feed grain prices and competition from other protein sources may limit the profitability. That’s according to analyst James Robb of the Colorado-based Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) in his presentation Tuesday at […] Read more
Loonie seen hindering hog sector recovery
(Resource News International) –– U.S. hog prices are expected to show some improvement over the next year, but that strength won’t be felt in Canada where foreign exchange rates will continue to hamper the industry. That’s according to market analyst Steve Dziver of Phoenix Agri-Tec Inc. in a presentation Tuesday at the Canadian Wheat Board’s […] Read more
Alta. moisture maps point to poor pasture, hay
Alberta’s crop insurance agency warns that soil moisture maps now make a good case for ranchers and hay producers to consider perennial insurance. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) last week reminded farmers that the deadline for perennial insurance comes up Monday, March 1. “Soil moisture maps for the province indicate that levels are […] Read more
Klassen: Larger feeder supplies temper price strength
Feb. 22 — Statistics Canada’s Jan. 1 cattle inventory report was viewed as friendly to the cattle complex due to the lower overall inventory; however, the feeder cattle numbers were actually price-negative. The 2009 calf crop was estimated at 5.11 million head, down marginally from 5.288 million head in 2008. This was largely anticipated by […] Read more
Ag development funded for Abitibi-Temiscamingue
A beef-dependent region of western Quebec will get public funding to help improve farms’ “business efficiency.” The provincial and federal governments on Monday pledged a combined $3.8 million to support farming development in a region where about 50 per cent of farms are in the economically slumping beef sector. The funding is meant to help […] Read more
Cargill beef plants install video gear for audits
Cargill’s beef slaughter plants in Alberta and Ontario are among 10 company facilities in North America that have installed video equipment to monitor animal welfare practices. And while the U.S. agrifood giant’s two Canadian beef plants have yet to start using the equipment, the company has already begun a pilot program in two U.S. plants […] Read more
Sofina to buy Lilydale in meats merger
Toronto-area meat processor Sofina Foods has signed a $75 million cash-and-bonds deal to take over Edmonton-based poultry packer Lilydale Inc. Privately-held Sofina, which processes and sells pork, beef and poultry products for the domestic, U.S. and Japanese markets, has offered Lilydale’s shareholders $10 cash and about $5.43 in debentures per share. The buyer will also […] Read more
BSE class actions seek merger into one
Lawyers behind the two remaining class-action suits pitting about 135,000 Canadian cattle producers against Ottawa over losses due to BSE will go to court in April to ask for one last merger. Cameron Pallett, a Toronto lawyer for Ontario producer Bill Sauer, said Wednesday that counsel for cattleman Donald Berneche of St-Gabriel de Brandon, Que. […] Read more
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