Reading Time: 2 minutes RCMP say animals were purchased at market before being unlawfully slaughtered. Some meat was delivered to stores and residences in Calgary while other meat was intercepted before delivery.

Charges laid in improper meat dealing case
Four have been charged in November 2023 case

Vacant office space may be the next frontier in Alberta farming
Company setting up indoor farm in Calgary Tower says vacant office space offers an opportunity
Reading Time: 3 minutes A prominent Calgary landmark will soon be the site of a large indoor aeroponics farming operation. About 65,000 square feet of former second-floor office space at the Calgary Tower Centre is being converted into a vertical farming operation that will grow strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, leafy greens and melons. “The produce we’re really interested in growing […] Read more

COVID-19 lands at another Cargill meat plant
Five cases linked to case-ready plant in Calgary
Alberta provincial officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Cargill’s meat further-processing plant in Calgary, with five cases of the coronavirus connected to the facility. Provincial chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted Friday that “there are five cases linked to Cargill Case Ready Meats in #YYC.” Provincial health officials “have visited the plant and […] Read more

Alberta’s Harmony Beef halts slaughter on positive COVID-19 test
CFIA pulls inspectors after plant employee tests positive
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Harmony Beef, an Alberta packing plant, halted cattle slaughter on Friday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) kept some inspectors from work, due to a positive test for COVID-19 by a Harmony worker, the company said. The partial closure follows a positive COVID-19 test by a worker at U.S. chicken […] Read more

Co-op Feeds to shut two Prairie plants, sell another
In the face of “industry challenges,” Federated Co-operatives’ livestock feed manufacturing division plans to pull its operations from six plants down into three. Saskatoon-based Federated Co-op announced Monday it will consolidate its production of bulk and bagged cattle, horse, sheep and poultry feed into three of its existing plants, at Calgary, Saskatoon and Moosomin, Sask. […] Read more

BASF Ag Solutions to move Canadian head office west
The Canadian arm of BASF Agricultural Solutions plans to relocate its head office to Calgary from Mississauga effective Oct. 1. The crop protection arm of the German chemical company said Wednesday it wants to move the Canadian head office “closer to customers” after closing its deals last year to buy a “range of businesses and […] Read more

Nutrien merger’s effects ongoing a year later
CNS Canada — After clearing their regulatory hurdles, Canada’s Agrium and PotashCorp merged at the start of 2018 to become the world’s largest fertilizer company, Nutrien. The partner companies had made various promises at the time and many in Western Canada were cautious, hoping for the best but not fully knowing what to expect. A […] Read more

Farm Forum Event under new management
The company behind Canada’s two biggest outdoor farm shows is expanding to the great indoors as the new operator of another well known Canadian farm industry event. Glacier FarmMedia announced Monday it has acquired and will assume management of the Farm Forum Event, an annual professional development event for farmers, starting with its 20th anniversary […] Read more

Alberta cattle numbers are no longer falling — but herds are on the move
Some counties are seeing a major increase due to bigger herds, but crops are replacing cattle in other areas
Reading Time: 3 minutes While the Alberta cow herd has stopped shrinking, it has not yet rebounded. “The positive returns for the cow-calf producers over the last few years indicate the Alberta cow herd has finally stopped shrinking,” said Herman Simons, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “In fact, the total beef cow numbers for […] Read more

Dairy co-op Gay Lea buys Calgary cheesemaker
Ontario dairy farmer co-operative Gay Lea Foods’ plans for expansion into Western Canada now include Calgary cheesemaker Alberta Cheese Company. Gay Lea announced Monday it has bought the family-owned processor, effective Friday (Oct. 13), for an undisclosed sum. Set up in 1976 by cheesemaker Frank Talarico, Alberta Cheese makes “traditional” Italian cheeses for sale under […] Read more