Livestock

Canada’s producers of goats and sheep are being asked for their feedback on the national scrapie surveillance program. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Friday asked those producers to take part in an online survey on the program. Under the surveillance program, CFIA asks that producers report all sheep and goats aged 12 months and […] Read more

The Ontario government will spend $8.8 million this year to help install broadband Internet infrastructure in 15 rural communities. The communities’ applications were accepted this year under the provincial Rural Connections Broadband Program, which backs broadband access for rural and remote areas of southern Ontario now considered “under-serviced.” Broadband, defined for the purposes of this […] Read more

Courts in nine provinces have given final approval to a deal that will settle over 100 proposed class actions against Toronto pet food maker Menu Foods. The company’s proposed settlement was already approved last month in a U.S. federal district court and went to a hearing in courts in all provinces except Prince Edward Island […] Read more

Saskatchewan’s government promises to put up $90 million over three years to bring high-speed Internet coverage to the entire province. The funding for Crown phone and Internet firm SaskTel will go toward a $129 million infrastructure plan to improve rural Internet service, expand the CommunityNet high-speed network and build 50 new cellular phone towers. The […] Read more

Manitoba’s government and IBM have road-tested a pilot system to digitally trace food from the farm to the grocery cart, on their way to developing a provincial traceability program. IBM Canada, which served as a project manager and consultant for the pilot, worked with the province as well as “more than 16” supply chain partners, […] Read more

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has signed a new sponsorship deal with Canadian Western Agribition as the national-level ag exhibition and trade show gets underway in Regina. The memo of understanding between Agribition and the province makes the ag ministry a platinum-level sponsor and pledges $250,000 to the exhibition over five years. The funding commitment […] Read more

Alberta’s legislative assembly has adopted a non-binding motion to have the province declare rodeo as its official sport. The private members’ motion, introduced Monday by outgoing provincial Liberal leader Kevin Taft, was carried with “overwhelming all-party approval” from MLAs during the legislature’s sitting Monday night, according to a Liberal caucus news release Tuesday. “No other […] Read more

Manitoba’s government has reintroduced amendments to its Animal Care Act that are meant to put the brakes on shipments of unfit livestock. Most of the amendments, which were first introduced during the legislature’s last session in September and were reintroduced Monday, are meant to crack down on unlicensed dog and cat breeding operations. Agriculture Minister […] Read more

A dairy farming couple from Vancouver Island and a pair of southeastern Quebec hog producers are Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2008. The awards were presented Friday afternoon in Calgary to David and Lisa Taylor of Viewfield Farms at Courtenay, B.C., and to Lyne Groleau and Marco Couture of Porcherie Marigo at Saint-Remi-de-Tingwick, Que. Operating […] Read more

A committee has been named to steer Ontario’s hog industry past Ontario Pork’s single desk and into a new marketing system. “We’ve established the Ontario Hog Industry Advisory Committee (HIAC) to help Ontario Pork Producers’ Marketing Board transition to a new hog marketing environment in which producers will have more marketing options,” said Elmer Buchanan, […] Read more