Livestock
Canada’s biggest domestically-owned beef packing firm will get $1.6 million in government grants toward new systems expected to help double its ground beef processing capacity at Brooks, Alta. The grants, backed by the federal/provincial Growing Forward ag policy funding framework and approved through the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), will be paid out over […] Read more
Beef packer XL Foods funded for capacity upgrade
Barley bids strengthen for spring delivery
Ample feed wheat supplies in Western Canada are keeping barley bids fairly stable in the spot market; however, deferred delivery contracts for the spring are showing some more strength. The March-through-June time period is typically a heavy livestock feeding time, and price opportunities for the spring months can already be found over $200 per tonne […] Read more
More soaked Man., Sask. ranchers granted tax deferrals
Livestock producers in 10 more waterlogged Prairie rural municipalities will be allowed to defer income from sales of breeding stock for income tax purposes. The federal government on Wednesday announced the additions to its list of deferrals, which it grants regularly to producers across Canada in areas hit by drought or excess moisture and thus […] Read more
Ont. cold storage firm funded for pork processing
A southeastern Ontario company best known for its work in blast freezing and cold storage for food manufacturers has picked up public funding to expand into meat processing. Canadian Blast Freezers, operating at Quinte West, about 20 km west of Belleville, will get $861,575 from the province’s Rural Economic Development program for a project to […] Read more
Editors’ Picks: Cockfighting rooster stabs Calif. man
A central California man fleeing a broken-up cockfight died last week of a stab wound believed to have been made by one of the fighting birds. The Associated Press news service on Monday quoted the coroner’s office in Kern County, in the Bakersfield area north of Los Angeles, as saying Jose Luis Ochoa died about […] Read more
Canada’s cattle herd reduction seen slowing
The ongoing cattle herd liquidation in Canada over the past few years may be starting to slow down, but it will take a number of years before the herd reduction trend turns around and a noticeable increase in the herd size could be expected, according to industry analysts. Brenna Grant, a research analyst with Canfax, […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle edge higher
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $2 to $4 per hundredweight higher on average in comparison to week-ago levels. Fed cattle edged up $1-$2/cwt, reaching $107/cwt, which provided a firm tone in the feeder complex. Early “fall backgrounded calves” started to come on the market last week and there was also a buildup of cattle […] Read more
Costa Rica reopens ports to Canadian beef
A relatively small buyer in Central America is Canada’s latest win in efforts to reopen international borders and ports to Canadian beef. Costa Rica, which shut the door on a quarter-million-dollar market for Canadian beef in 2003 following confirmation of Canada’s first domestic case of BSE, will now allow “full, unrestricted access” to Canadian beef […] Read more
Cargill’s Guelph beef plant cleared to ship to Russia
The list of Canadian beef processors eligible to export to Russia now includes Eastern Canada’s largest packer. Cargill Meat Solutions said Friday its application for certification for its beef plant at Guelph has been recognized by Russian regulatory authorities, effective immediately. Several other Canadian processors have been cleared to ship to Russia, but approval for […] Read more
Deal shuts down Maple Leaf governance dispute
Resolutions that would have rethought how Maple Leaf Foods picks its directors won’t make it to the company’s next annual meeting, following an agreement between the food firm and a vocal new stakeholder. The Toronto-based meat and bakery giant on Thursday announced an “accord” with West Face Capital, the Toronto investment management firm that picked […] Read more
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