Temporary foreign workers coming to Canada for work in the farming or food processing sectors might not have to immediately check into government-approved hotels for COVID-19 quarantines along with other arriving travellers. The federal government on Tuesday announced new rules for TFWs taking effect starting Sunday (March 21). Like other arrivals, TFWs will still be […] Read more
New quarantine rules lined up for temporary foreign workers
Private transport would allow workers to skip immediate hotel stay
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise, hog futures weaken
Demand expected to rise on re-openings
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Monday supported by expectations of souped-up demand as economies begin to fully re-open after shutdowns related to COVID-19. “Cattle futures continue to price in better days ahead and the technical picture looks improved as well,” brokerage StoneX said in a statement. The most-active June […] Read more
Ag equipment maker buys WHL’s Regina Pats
Brandt takes full ownership of hockey club
Regina-based machinery manufacturer the Brandt Group is levelling up from partner to full owner of the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats. Brandt, which since 2005 has held the naming rights to the Pats’ home arena, Brandt Centre — formerly the Regina Agridome — said Friday it has approval from the league’s board of governors and […] Read more
Farmland appreciation continues through pandemic year
FCC report puts Canada's average land value increase at 5.4 per cent
Economic churn across Canada from the global COVID-19 pandemic didn’t faze the country’s real estate market — nor its farmland market in particular — in 2020, according to the latest review from the federal farm lending agency. Farm Credit Canada on Monday released its 2020 Farmland Values report, showing an average increase of 5.4 per […] Read more
Farm incomes — on average — soared in Canada last year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Thanks to soaring crop prices, farm income hit a new record in 2020 and will set another one this year, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “In spite of recent challenges, notably COVID-19’s impacts on the food supply chain, the growth in farm income shows that the sector is weathering these disruptions well and adjusting […] Read more
Alberta hog farmers to get set-aside via AgriRecovery
Producers get funds for feeding held-back market hogs
An AgriRecovery plan announced Friday is set to pay eligible Alberta farmers 95 cents per day per market-ready hog toward the animals’ upkeep during the shutdown of the province’s biggest hog slaughter plant. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Sollio Co-operative, reopened its plant at Red Deer this week after announcing Feb. 15 it would […] Read more
Olymel restarting hog slaughter at Red Deer
Work to resume at pork plant this week
Meat packer Olymel plans to restart slaughter operations Thursday at one of Canada’s largest hog plants following a major outbreak of COVID-19 among employees. Olymel, an arm of Sollio Co-operative, said late Wednesday it had recalled “employees that are needed to ensure that the gradual restarting of operations goes smoothly” at its Red Deer, Alta. […] Read more
Government pledges funds for agricultural societies
Reading Time: < 1 minute The provincial government says it’s changing the grant formula to help agricultural societies, which have been hit hard by the pandemic. Part of the funding for ag societies is based on events they hold. “As a result of COVID-19, most of these events did not happen, which is why Agriculture and Forestry changed the 2021-22 […] Read more
Olymel closure due to COVID creates costly backlog for hog producers
Backlog of hogs tops 100,000 and it will take weeks to work through it when plant reopens
Reading Time: 2 minutes Red Deer’s Olymel plant remains closed following three deaths linked to the COVID-19 outbreak at the hog processing facility. The plant closed temporarily but indefinitely on Feb. 16, and as of press time, it remained closed, with more than 500 confirmed COVID cases linked to the facility by Alberta Health Services. That’s more than a […] Read more
Beef cattle sector weighs in for federal food processing study
Cattlemen's Association makes recommendations to Commons' ag committee
The House of Commons’ standing committee on agriculture will soon be wrapping up its study into Canada’s processing capacity. Since November, MPs have heard from more than 50 witnesses on the matter — including representatives from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, whose president Bob Lowe and executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft testified at a committee meeting Tuesday. […] Read more
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