Livestock
A former mayor of the eastern Ontario municipality of North Glengarry has been tapped as the provincial Liberals’ parliamentary assistant to their ag minister. Grant Crack, the new MPP for the riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, was named last week as parliamentary secretary to Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin, and to Madeleine Meilleur, the province’s minister for francophone […] Read more
Rookie eastern Ont. MPP to assist on ag file
U.S. beef packer losses seen reaching record levels
U.S. beef packers are making record losses as the price they pay for cattle is outstripping what they earn on beef, private data showed Dec. 9. Analysts said the losses were record large and could force leading beef producers such as Tyson Foods and JBS USA to reduce cattle slaughter and beef production in a […] Read more
B.C. farmland commission to become ‘more self-supporting’
The commission overseeing British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve is expected to boost service fees and clamp down on repeated requests for exemptions, as it moves to a "more self-supporting" model. Provincial Agriculture Minister Don McRae on Monday announced plans for legislation he said will improve the "structure and sustainability" of B.C.’s Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). […] Read more
P.E.I. forestry file to return to ag department
A move to "streamline" Prince Edward Island’s provincial government off the top will see its agriculture department take back responsibility for forestry. The transfer sets up a department of agriculture and forestry, to be headed by the province’s current agriculture minister and deputy premier, George Webster, and by deputy minister John MacQuarrie, who until now […] Read more
N.B. poultry plant site sees six-figure damage: owners
Construction of a major poultry slaughter and cutting plant in northwestern New Brunswick’s Madawaska region has been hit with vandalism, the plant’s owners say. Quebec meat processing company Olymel and New Brunswick poultry producer Groupe Westco on Monday reported "several hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage" at their construction site at Clair, N.B., about […] Read more
Maple Leaf resuming production at Winnipeg after fire
Maple Leaf Foods is gradually increasing the rate of production and packaging at its Winnipeg prepared meats plant, where a fire caused water and smoke damage last week. Packaging lines are running at about 50 per cent of their normal rate and production more slowly than that, said Lynda Kuhn, senior vice-president of communications at […] Read more
Klassen: Mixed volatile prices characterize feeder market
Feeder cattle prices across Western Canada were $2 lower to $3 higher last week depending on the location of the sale. Feeder cattle prices are running 20 per cent above year-ago levels and available financing is limiting the buying power. Despite the equity buildup over the past year, many feedlot operators and custom feeders are […] Read more
N.B. to garnishee tax refunds for unpaid ag loans
In a push to improve collection of its overdue accounts, the New Brunswick government plans to expand its use of a "set-off" program to include more farming-related receivables. The province on Thursday said it would expand the use of a set-off that allows the Canada Revenue Agency to apply an income tax refund or tax […] Read more
BIXS sets up online cattle classifieds for members
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) has rolled out an online cattle sales listing service for the system’s registered participants. The new BIXS Cattle-Classifieds system is expected to provide registered producers with an additional free-of-charge platform for "building potential business relationships to bolster their marketing program for their BIXS cattle," the CCA said […] Read more
N.S. to charge owners for care of seized livestock
Nova Scotia farmers whose livestock are seized by animal protection officials may soon expect the province to charge those farmers for the animals’ care. Agriculture Minister John MacDonell on Tuesday introduced amendments to the province’s Animal Protection Act, which mirror provisions already in place for the province’s SPCA to recover costs from domestic pets’ owners […] Read more
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