Updated, July 15 — The federal government has announced a pilot program that will make it easier for farms and food companies to maintain workers they recruit from around the world. Ahmed Hussen, minister for immigration, refugees and citizenship, announced the program Friday at Maple Leaf Foods in Mississauga. Why it matters: There’s a labour […] Read more
Agriculture foreign workers get new path to residency
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
U.S. Midwest’s catastrophic floods cause widespread damage
Brownville, Neb. | Reuters — Severe flooding caused by rainfall and melting snow devastated farms and towns in Nebraska and Iowa on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, with waters yet to crest in parts of the region for several days. The floods inundated stretches […] Read more
Livestock, pets among victims in U.S. Midwest flooding
Reuters — The floods that have devastated large swaths of Nebraska and Iowa since late last week left house pets homeless, inflicted an unknown toll on livestock and led to several daring water rescues of animals from dogs to horses. Rescuers in the Omaha area, where the Platte, Elkhorn and Missouri rivers began spilling over […] Read more
Livestock tax deferral map expands again for 2018
Some northern and southwestern Ontario producers who had to sell breeding livestock due to drought in the 2018 tax year can now defer chunks of the income from those sales when filing their income taxes. The federal government on Wednesday rolled out its final list and map of designated regions for 2018 under its livestock […] Read more
Unusual third assessment run for livestock tax deferrals
In an unusual move, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has undertaken a third assessment for the federal livestock tax deferral. “Federal officials are currently finalizing the analysis to identify whether any additional regions have met the criteria for the livestock tax deferral,” AAFC spokesperson James Watson said. Under the deferral plan, cattle producers affected by severe […] Read more
Beetles halt U.S. DDGs exports to Thailand
Chicago | Reuters — Exports of U.S. distillers’ dried grains to Thailand have stopped due to new fumigation requirements installed after beetles were discovered in a shipment last year, U.S. traders said on Friday. Thai government officials said U.S. shipments required certificates showing they had been “properly fumigated.” Traders said sales had effectively been halted […] Read more
AgriRecovery offered for B.C. wildfire costs
British Columbia ranchers and farmers who lost pasture or cropland or had to move livestock out of the path of wildfires this year may be eligible for AgriRecovery funding. The federal and B.C. governments on Thursday announced a new AgriRecovery program worth up to $5 million to help defray “extraordinary costs incurred” due to wildfires […] Read more
Animal health firm Elanco surges on trading debut
Reuters — Eli Lilly unit Elanco Animal Health’s shares jumped as much as 41 per cent on their stock market debut on Thursday, adding to investor enthusiasm for the fast-growing animal healthcare market. Elanco’s shares opened at $32.25 on the New York Stock Exchange, higher than their IPO price of $24 per share, giving the […] Read more
When feed is in short supply, it’s time for extra culling
Beef 911: Downsizing the herd will be profitable if you have good records and good reasons for culling
Reading Time: 4 minutes With the shortage of feed across Western Canada, this may be a good year to downsize by extra culling. The question of what the next wave of culls should be goes beyond reproduction — the fall is also an ideal time to consider culling problem cows. The yearly cost to maintain those cows is at […] Read more
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