Livestock

Funeral services were held Monday in Elmira, Ont. for Holstein breeder Earl Bauman, who helped found what’s now the Ontario Livestock Exchange, and who died Friday at age 89. According to his obituary, Bauman was a member of the Holstein Association of Canada for 61 years, received that association’s highest honour, the Master Breeder Shield […] Read more

Representatives of Saskatchewan’s two provincial cattle producer groups have laid out a plan to consolidate into one organization. The strategy, released Monday, offers details on the proposed structure and purpose of a new association, from election of directors to the administration of funds. The Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association membership endorsed the idea at its annual […] Read more

The total cap has been raised on a program guaranteeing 25 per cent of a Manitoba farm’s operating line of credit — a program now made permanent, the province announced Monday. The Operating Credit Guarantee (OCG) program, operated by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC), gives participating banks, credit unions and other financing agencies a guarantee […] Read more

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has pledged to end its boycott of KFC Canada, after the chicken chain agreed to a new animal welfare plan including support for controlled-atmosphere slaughter. The Norfolk, Virginia-based advocacy group, operators of the “Kentucky Fried Cruelty” campaign, said KFC Canada has pledged to phase in a plan […] Read more

Hog farmers in New Brunswick will be offered early access to their expected AgriStability payout for 2008, under a Targeted Advance Payment (TAP) program announced Thursday. Letters are in the mail to eligible producers with information about the amount of their advance and how to receive a payment, the federal and provincial governments said in […] Read more

The Quebec Superior Court has approved Winnipeg feed maker Ridley Inc.’s proposed $6 million settlement of four proposed class-action lawsuits by cattle producers. “While affecting only the Quebec lawsuit, the Quebec court’s order is a significant step toward final resolution of the pending BSE cases against Ridley,” the company wrote in a release Thursday. Ridley […] Read more

Crown-owned utilities SaskPower and SaskTel will offer new financing programs for what could otherwise be cost-prohibitive new connections to electricity and phone service. Starting June 1, SaskPower will finance new residential and farm customers whose electricity connection costs are over $1,000, and commercial customers where such costs are over $5,000. SaskPower’s “New Connects” program will […] Read more

The Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association’s corn-fed beef program will add a new layer of traceability to its product through a deal with OnTrace. OnTrace, an Ontario industry-led food traceability corporation, will provide premises identification validation and technical support services for producers affiliated with Ontario Corn Fed Beef Inc. (OCFB). Premises identification has been described as […] Read more

The Nova Scotia government has split responsibility for animal protection in the province between its agriculture department and the Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (SPCA). “The department of agriculture will look after all agriculture-related cruelty complaints while the SPCA will handle complaints concerning domestic animals,” said Agriculture Minister Brooke Taylor in a […] Read more

All of Charlottetown’s NOFG pork processing plant, from the cutting equipment right down to the workboots, was sold at auction Saturday except for the building itself, CBC reported Monday. The Prince Edward Island government had been operating the facility through a receiver but shut it down in late March when no private-sector buyer came forward. […] Read more