Livestock

The federal Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) will get a new boss for its reorganization. Jamshed Merchant, who’s currently executive director of the federal National Land and Water Information Service, will serve at the same time as acting director-general for PFRA, replacing Harley Olsen effective immediately. Olsen, who also directed PFRA in an “acting” capacity, […] Read more

Alberta beef producers who took part in a Verified Beef Production workshop have until March 31 to get funding for half the cost of related equipment. Eligible producers can get back 50 per cent of the cost up to a maximum of $750 for eligible livestock equipment including chutes and headgates that facilitate neck injections; […] Read more

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has named southern Ontario dairyman William Smirle to chair the National Farm Products Council. Smirle, whose term runs to Feb. 14, 2010, is a partner in the family dairy farm at Morewood, southeast of Ottawa, and also worked as a teacher and principal in Ottawa. He also served as deputy […] Read more

Agropur, Canada’s biggest dairy co-op, has taken another step into the U.S. market by buying Trega Foods of Wisconsin for an undisclosed sum. Trega, headquartered in Little Chute on the east side of Appleton, runs three facilities in eastern Wisconsin making cheddar, feta, mozzarella, provolone and mozza sticks for a number of wholesale and retail […] Read more

Some, but not enough, Prince Edward Island residents are mourning the loss of Triple-Milk after its maker wound down its production, CBC reported Monday. Amalgamated Dairies’ (ADL) Triple-Milk, a product unique to P.E.I., was pasteurized, homogenized, concentrated milk with 66 per cent of its water removed. Unlike evaporated or condensed milk, Triple-Milk was a fresh […] Read more

Saputo, Canada’s biggest dairy processor, plans to expand its U.S. cheese division by buying Wisconsin’s Alto Dairy Co-operative. Alto, based in Waupun, northeast of Madison, makes both Italian- and American-style cheeses including mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, gouda and Monterey Jack, for food service and industrial markets, as well as the premium Italian-style brand Alto Bello for […] Read more

Tests on animals with connections to a British Columbia bull that had bovine tuberculosis have so far turned up no new confirmed cases, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported Monday. CFIA said it’s identified over 1,000 animals that might have been exposed to bovine TB in relation to the lone case in northern B.C., and […] Read more

Small, freestanding meat plants in Ontario have more time to apply for funds to help upgrade their facilities to new food safety standards. The funding comes from the provincial meat plant assistance program, which was first announced in January 2006 with original deadlines of Feb. 15, 2008 and 2009 for small Category 2 and 1 […] Read more

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is spearheading an effort to educate hobbyists and other owners of backyard bird flocks on how to prevent and detect disease outbreaks. The national campaign — dubbed Bird Health Basics — promotes steps flock owners and those with pet birds can take to protect against dangerous diseases such as […] Read more

Dairy farmers in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island will receive price increases of about 2.95 cents per litre on the milk they produce starting next month. The New Brunswick Farm Products Commission on Monday announced an average increase of 2.95 cents for producers, with no increase at the processor level. The standard mark-up at […] Read more