Man. ag insurance to add overwinter bee coverage

An overwinter bee mortality insurance program will be added to Manitoba’s federal/provincial AgriInsurance program in 2011. Provincial Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers rolled out the province’s planned changes in an announcement Tuesday at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. Many farmers suffered crop production shortfalls and quality losses in 2010, he said, noting Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp., […] Read more

Quebec backs Monteregie meat packer for new plant

A southwestern Quebec beef, pork and poultry processor’s plans for a new $16.6 million plant have been spotted for $3 million from the province. The loan to Viandes Paquette, announced Monday, will come from Investissement Quebec’s Strategic Support for Investment Program (PASI), for a project that’s expected to create 209 jobs in the province’s Monteregie […] Read more


Klassen: Feeder cattle edge higher

The feeder cattle market for 2011 started where 2010 left off. Last week’s prices were comparable to values in late December on the first real market test for the year. In southern Alberta, lightweight steer calves under 400 pounds brought back $160 to $175 per hundredweight; 400- to 500-lb. steers sold for $140 to $155/cwt. […] Read more

Higher prices will test consumers’ taste for beef

(Reuters) — Lady Gaga’s favourite Judas Priest burger will still cost $12 at Kuma’s Corner as the  trendy Chicago eatery resists raising prices, even though the cost of making that burger has gone up. “You can’t pass it on, not in times like this,” Kuma’s manager Frank DeBoss said of the higher beef prices, which […] Read more


Man. Interlake RM funded for excess water plan

A rural municipality in Manitoba’s waterlogged Interlake region will get public funding to develop models for better dealing with excess water. The Manitoba and federal governments on Monday pledged a total of over $860,000 for the RM of Bifrost’s Excess Water Management Model initiative. The initiative is expected to help form a farmer/municipality/government partnership to […] Read more

Que. farmers to vote on UPA monopoly: report

Quebec’s first-ever ag policy paper calls for the province’s farmers to vote in a referendum on whether to break the monopoly of their general farm organization, la Presse canadienne reports. Citing a copy of the province’s still-unreleased “Livre vert” (green paper) in an article Friday, the French-language arm of the Canadian Press news agency suggested […] Read more


Cfia Calls For Testing

Reading Time: < 1 minute The CFIA is urging sheep and goat producers to submit suspicious cases for scrapie testing as the number of confirmed cases in Canada is up to a level not seen since 2003. Eleven infected flocks were confirmed as of Nov. 30, up from six in all of 2009. CFIA said it would like to test […] Read more

Germany Dioxin Scare

Reading Time: < 1 minute The German government on Jan. 10 said it was looking into tighter regulations on feed suppliers after eggs from farms where hens ate dioxin-tainted feed were found to be contaminated. Operations at 4,700 German farms were shut down last week and thousands of hens culled to try to prevent food supplies being contaminated by the […] Read more


Manage Change To Increase Per-Cow Profitability

Reading Time: 3 minutes Knowing cows’ nutritional needs and the cost of keeping them in a pen can help producers make wise decisions, says Bart Lardner, senior research scientist at the Western Beef Development Centre. Lardner gave numerous money-making tips to producers at the recent Western Canadian Grazing Conference in Vermilion. Lardner, who is also an adjunct professor at […] Read more

Coccidiosis In Piglets A Threat To Growth

Reading Time: 3 minutes Coccidiosis in suckling piglets is a widespread problem in Canadian herds and causes scouring and reduced growth. The only effective treatment for this disease is Baycox, a five per cent suspension of toltrazuril. Although this drug was never approved, it was available to producers from 1992 to 1998 through Canada’s Emergency Drug Release program. Its […] Read more