Ottawa | Reuters — Shaggy, long-maned wild horses grazing freely on the sandy grasslands of the crescent-shaped Sable Island in the North Atlantic are expected to come under the swipe of a powerful storm forecast to hit Eastern Canada this weekend. Hurricane Fiona, tracking northward after carving a destructive path through the Dominican Republic and […] Read more
Wild horses face unruly storms as Fiona nears East Coast
Damages feared to buildings, utilities, crops
Agropur backs major upgrades for Nova Scotia ice cream plant
Dairy co-op puts up $34M to 'redefine space' at Truro
Major dairy co-operative Agropur is putting up eight figures to upgrade an ice cream and frozen novelties plant it owns in Nova Scotia to handle new premium product lines. The co-operative said June 17 it will invest $34 million in the former Scotsburn plant at Truro, to “redefine the space within the plant (and) support […] Read more
N.S. farm limestone program boosted against rising diesel prices
Farmers in Nova Scotia facing rising prices for diesel fuel will see more funding via the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program (LTAP), which is expected to help offset some of those increased costs. “After touring multiple farms around the province to hear from farmers and meeting this morning with farmer Tim Marsh at the Nova Scotia […] Read more
Wastewater regulation eased for Nova Scotia on-farm processing
Nova Scotia has introduced regulatory changes that allow on-farm processing operations to better manage wastewater on their smaller scale. The changes, which took effect May 11, come at the request of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) — which has said that owners of small farm-level processing facilities shouldn’t be treated the same as […] Read more
Second Nova Scotia poultry operation hit with avian flu
U.S. also books outbreaks in two states
A second farm in western Nova Scotia has been hit with highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial birds, further expanding containment measures in that province. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Monday it confirmed high-path H5N1 on Wednesday last week in birds at a mixed farm in the area, where operations include poultry and poultry […] Read more
No trade bans expected from Nova Scotia bird flu findings
High-path H5N1 a 'non-poultry detection'
A new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in central Nova Scotia isn’t expected to affect international trade in Canada’s feather sectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Tuesday confirmed a high-path H5N1 strain affecting birds on the property, describing it Thursday as a “non-poultry detection” among animals not produced […] Read more
Pot company Hexo to shut production sites, cut jobs
Reuters — Pot producer Hexo Corp. said Tuesday it will close three production sites in Canada in early 2022, affecting 155 employees, as part of its integration plans following recent acquisitions. Gatineau, Que.-based Hexo said it will cease operations at its Kirkland Lake and Brantford facilities in Ontario at the end of January and at […] Read more
Rookie Nova Scotia MLA named agriculture minister
Greg Morrow sworn in Tuesday
A radio news director from eastern Nova Scotia has been tapped as the provincial agriculture minister for incoming Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives. Greg Morrow, the new MLA for Guysborough-Tracadie, was sworn in Tuesday along with the other members of Houston’s 19-member cabinet. Houston’s Tories ousted Iain Rankin’s Liberal government in the Aug. 17 provincial […] Read more
Nova Scotia Tories’ ag critic returns as party wins election
PCs oust incumbent Liberals, form majority
The agriculture critic for Nova Scotia’s opposition Progressive Conservatives is set to return to the legislature, this time as part of a majority government, following Tuesday’s provincial election. As of about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Tim Houston’s PCs were elected or leading in 31 of 55 ridings, followed by Iain Rankin’s incumbent Liberals with 17 and […] Read more
Eastern drought zones set for livestock tax deferrals
Regions designated in P.E.I., N.S., N.B., Quebec
In a decision that may have come late for some, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and parts of southeastern Quebec and northwestern Nova Scotia have been declared drought zones for eligible livestock producers’ 2020 tax purposes. The federal government on Monday released its list and map of prescribed drought regions where tax deferral on sales […] Read more
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