Livestock
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $383 million disaster relief bill on Thursday that provides political shelter for lawmakers during the worst drought in half a century, but may not release the aid for months to come. Nearly two-thirds of the continental United States, including prime ranch and farm territory, is in the grip […] Read more
House passes $383 million us drought aid bill for ranchers
United Arab Emirates fully open to Canadian beef
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the latest country to fully reopen its borders to Canadian beef following its closure in 2003 when a case of BSE was discovered in Canada. A joint release Aug. 2 by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast said the UAE is now open to beef […] Read more
No ad hoc aid for Ontario producers: Ritz
The federal government doesn’t expect to announce any ad hoc aid programs for Ontario farmers suffering from drought, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters in Saskatoon July 31. "I think we have fullness in our programming that allows us the latitude to address this," Ritz said. Earlier in the day Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asked […] Read more
Spreading the word on Ontario hay listings
The Ontario Forage Council launched the Ontario Hay Listing Service in July 2008 and has attracted close to 470,000 hits to date from across Canada, the USA and destinations as far away as the Middle East, China, Jordan and United Kingdom. We have responded to the needs of both hay producers and purchasers, who have both […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle grind lower on higher feed costs
Western Canadian feeder cattle continue to drift lower amid higher feed costs and softer fed cattle prices. The barley harvest has started in Manitoba and will be more widespread in a couple of weeks. However, feed prices remain near historical highs. U.S. values were down $3/cwt to $5/cwt on average as ongoing drought conditions plague […] Read more
Manitoba crop report – grain would still be welcome
Manitoba Agriculture has issued its weekly crop report, crop production update and crop weather report for July 23. Full text of each is available alongside. Highlights • Harvesting of the earliest seeded spring wheat and barley fields has started and preliminary yields are average to above average. Swathing of canola and oat crops continue across […] Read more
U.S. corn futures continue to rise on drought
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures were higher on Friday on continued deterioration of the U.S. corn crop as the worst drought in over a half a century takes a toll on crop production. Informa Economics cut its estimate for 2012 corn yield to 134.0 bushels per acre from the previous 142.5 and trimmed soy […] Read more
Ontario farmer continues dairy fight
An Ontario dairy farmer is appealing his conviction of producing, selling and distributing raw milk to the Ontario Court of Appeal. Michael Schmidt, who farms northwest of Toronto, was charged in 2006 following an undercover police sting operation into his dairy business, which supplied 150 families with raw milk. Each family had paid $300 for […] Read more
IGC cuts maize forecast
The International Grains Council has cut sharply its forecast for the world maize crop in 2012-13, citing the worst U.S. drought since 1956, and saw stocks of the commodity falling to a six-year low by the end of the season. World maize production in 2012-13 was put at 864 million tonnes, down from a previous […] Read more
Canadian beef producers gain market access to Kazakhstan
Canadian beef producers will benefit from new access to Kazakhstan, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced July 26. The federal government has secured market access for boneless beef from animals over 30 months of age, in addition to the recently negotiated access for all beef from animals under 30 months. This new market access is estimated […] Read more
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