Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, along with other industry stakeholders, is conducting a weekly survey to determine any potential shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic that could disrupt the Canadian beef supply chain. The association will work with government and industry partners to provide support to avoid shortages and address any should they occur. A weekly update, […] Read more
Are there shortages on your ranch?
Cut livestock insurance premiums, says CCA
Cattle producers need an insurance program but aren’t using it because the premiums are too expensive
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is not functioning properly due to very high premiums and needs to be quickly revamped, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re having unprecedented volatility for markets. Having tools in place for farmers and ranchers has never been more important,” executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft said during a telephone town hall […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Slaughterhouse closures lead to adjustments
MarketsFarm — The closure of one of Canada’s largest beef slaughterhouses will lead to adjustments in the cattle feeding sector, as animals will be fed longer but on different rations. Cargill’s meat processing plant at High River, Alta. slaughters roughly 40 per cent of all the cattle butchered in Canada. The plant is to be […] Read more
G20 ag ministers say COVID-19 measures shouldn’t disrupt food supply
Dubai | Reuters — Agriculture and food ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) countries agreed at a virtual meeting on Tuesday that emergency measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus must not upend global food supply chains. Their extraordinary meeting came as coronavirus lockdowns across the world slow global food supply chains, […] Read more
Unprecedented demand swings forcing milk to be dumped
Alberta Milk has temporarily reduced quota amounts to deal with oversupply caused by pandemic
Reading Time: 3 minutes No one likes to see milk being dumped, but it’s been an unfortunate part of the COVID-19 story. Dairy farms across North America have been dumping milk — and making headlines because of it. It’s a consequence of unprecedented swings in demand, said Karlee Conway, a spokesperson for Alberta Milk. “We’re just finding that consumer […] Read more
Canada sees no beef shortage, but prices may rise due to coronavirus
JBS plant at Brooks dials back to one shift
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters –– The Canadian government is not expecting a beef shortage despite the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in certain meat-packing plants, though prices may rise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. Trudeau added that beef producers are placing a priority on supplying the Canadian market before exporting products. Canada, one of […] Read more
Cargill to temporarily idle High River beef plant
Packing plant hit by COVID-19 outbreak; another 67 cases linked to JBS plant
Reuters — Cargill Ltd. said Monday it had begun the process of temporarily idling its beef plant at High River, Alta. because of the COVID-19 outbreak as provincial health officials said hundreds of workers at the plant had become infected. In her daily media update, Alberta chief medical officer Deena Hinshaw said a total of […] Read more
SPCA helping Alberta’s rural residents feed their animals
‘Help for Animals’ is aimed at providing food for horses, livestock and pets so owners can keep them on their property
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s SPCA has launched a campaign to help animal owners who may be running low on feed because of the pandemic. “The program is designed to help people keep their animals on their property,” said Dan Kobe, communications manager for the Alberta Society for Protection of Cruelty to Animals. “We don’t expect we’ll hear from […] Read more
JBS shuts Minnesota pork plant due to coronavirus
Chicago | Reuters — JBS USA said on Monday it would indefinitely shut a Minnesota hog slaughterhouse that produces about five per cent of the country’s pork, in the latest disruption to the U.S. food supply chain from the coronavirus pandemic. The closure limits the amount of meat the United States can produce for consumers […] Read more
Pandemic pushes rural internet speeds to the breaking point
Notoriously slow already, rural internet has struggled with increased demand during the pandemic — and that isn’t likely to change any time soon
Reading Time: 6 minutes The internet on Monika Benoit’s northern Alberta farm was bad enough before the pandemic. Now it’s almost “non-existent.” “We sigh a lot,” said Benoit, who farms with husband Mike near High Prairie. “Even when there’s not a pandemic, we have internet issues. But with the isolation and social distancing protocols we’re supposed to be following, […] Read more
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