Livestock
Programming at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College is not expected to change for at least the next two years after it becomes Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture, effective July 1. Representatives of the two schools on Friday announced an agreement in principle for NSAC’s merger into Dalhousie, covering general details such as interim leadership, operating […] Read more
Basics agreed to for NSAC merger into Dalhousie
Ontario to cap funding for RMPs
Warning they “cannot be sustained in the long term” if they continue without federal backing, Ontario has pledged to rework, and to limit its contribution to, its Risk Management Programs (RMPs) for farmers. Releasing its 2012 budget Tuesday, the provincial government said it will “continue to encourage” the federal government to cost-share Ontario’s RMPs, but […] Read more
N.B. to drop funding for harness racing
New Brunswick’s latest provincial budget calls for an end to "supplemental funding" for the province’s harness racing industry. Finance Minister Blaine Higgs’ budget, released Tuesday, says the funding will be "terminated" effective March 31 next year. Higgs said the cut is expected to save the province an estimated $600,000, starting in the 2013-14 budget year. […] Read more
Former B.C. ag minister dumps Liberals
B.C. dairyman-turned-cabinet minister John van Dongen has quit the province’s governing Liberals to become the lone MLA for the long-faded provincial Conservatives. Van Dongen was then-premier Gordon Campbell’s agriculture, food and fisheries minister from 2001 to 2005, except for a brief hiatus in 2003 during a police investigation over an aquaculture file he handled. "I […] Read more
U.S. beef processor shuts plants over “pink slime”
Beef Products Inc., the top producer of ammonia-treated beef product dubbed "pink slime" by critics, said Monday it had halted production at three of its four plants in three states for 60 days from Monday. Rich Jochum, corporate administrator for the South Dakota-based company, said that the temporary closure could become "a permanent suspension." "This […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market feels sluggish
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $2 per hundredweight lower last week. Weakness in the deferred live cattle futures, along with stronger barley prices, set a negative tone. Larger volume of 800-pound-plus cattle are coming on the market and with cattle-on-feed numbers above last year, demand for replacement cattle is not as strong. […] Read more
Ontario to sell ag ministry headquarters
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ head office in Guelph may soon have a new landlord. The provincial government on Friday announced the OMAFRA headquarters at 1 Stone Rd. W. will be one of eight buildings it sells to the private sector next year, only to lease back the office space that […] Read more
U.S. to appeal WTO’s COOL ruling
The U.S. government, on its deadline day to announce such a decision, plans to appeal a World Trade Organization ruling against its controversial country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law. The U.S. on Friday notified the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of its intentions, the WTO said in a statement. Details, such as a specific timeline for hearings […] Read more
Que. hog farmers backed for PRRS-fighting project
Quebec’s hog producers have picked up federal and provincial funding for a "major project" aimed at wiping out the PRRS virus starting in five specific areas. Quebec MP Jacques Gourde, a former parliamentary secretary for agriculture, and provincial Agriculture Minister Pierre Corbeil on Tuesday pledged $500,000 to the Federation des producteurs de porcs de Quebec […] Read more
Fraser Valley chicken farmer named CFC’s new chair
An Abbotsford, B.C. farmer whose operation produces about two million pounds of chicken per year is the new chairman of Chicken Farmers of Canada. CFC on Wednesday announced the election of its executive committee for 2012, led by chairman Dave Janzen, who grew up in the dairy sector and started his chicken operation at Abbotsford […] Read more
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