Fresh off its recent investment in the Prairie livestock feed business, Quebec ag co-operative giant La Coop federee is headed down a similar path in southwestern Ontario. The co-operative announced Monday it will pay an undisclosed sum for a 50 per cent stake in W-S Feed and Supply, based at Tavistock, Ont., about 30 km […] Read more

Coop federee buys into Ontario feed sector

DowDuPont bets on canola in race to boost plant proteins
Winnipeg | Reuters — Production of Canada’s biggest crop, canola, has expanded rapidly in recent years amid strong demand for the vegetable oil it produces. But the other processed canola product, meal, takes a backseat to U.S. soymeal to feed certain livestock, due to a reduced protein level. Seed developer DowDuPont hopes to change that […] Read more

Heritage chicken program at the U of A continues to grow
Program brings heritage genetics into small flocks and supports university’s breeding efforts
Reading Time: 2 minutes The eggs came first, but the chickens are really coming on strong for the University of Alberta’s heritage breed program. The Poultry Research Centre’s ‘Adopt a Hen’ program has been running for many years and is an unqualified hit. Starting with 175 supporters, there are now 504 participants in the Edmonton area, and a waiting […] Read more

Alberta rejoins the flock with new national chicken quota deal
A decade-old dispute over quota allocation is finally settled, and producers are already expanding facilities
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta is back in the federal-provincial agreement for allocating broiler chicken quota after exiting it in 2013. “I’m thinking they should hire us for NAFTA now,” Alberta Chicken Producers’ chair Erna Ference said with a laugh. “This was a huge effort. We started back in 2008 with this, and it took a lot of producers […] Read more

Olymel plugs over $52M into poultry processing
The meat packing and processing arm of Quebec’s biggest agrifood co-operative has earmarked over $52 million for poultry plant upgrades and construction in Ontario and Quebec. La Coop federee’s Olymel division in the past week has announced over $30 million for plant upgrades and the purchase of a second facility at Brampton, Ont., $14 million […] Read more

VIDEO: Researchers aim to turn bird feathers into food
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters – Biotechnologists have identified and refined a micro-organism that can convert bird feathers and other forms of organic waste into food products and cosmetics, as Jim Drury reports.

NAFTA negotiators trade barbs, agree on extension
Washington | Reuters — Trade negotiators from the U.S. and Canada accused each other of sabotaging attempts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement on Tuesday, even as they and Mexico agreed to extend talks into 2018. A round of talks in Washington that lasted seven days failed to find the most basic common […] Read more

Egg production on the rise
CNS Canada – Canadian egg production has risen 4.4 per cent in the past year, according to data released today by Statistics Canada. Canadian egg producers generated 64.5 million dozen eggs from May 2016 to May this year, said StatsCan. Placement of hatchery chicks on farms rose four percent to 65.5 million birds from June […] Read more

Cargill considering bid for JBS’ Pilgrim’s Pride
Sao Paulo / Reuters – Global commodities trader Cargill Inc is considering bidding for Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, a U.S.-based chicken processor controlled by scandal-ridden Brazilian group JBS SA, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported on Wednesday. A JBS representative said Pilgrim’s Pride is not for sale. An emailed request for comments from Cargill went […] Read more

U.S., China agree to first trade steps under 100-day plan
Washington | Reuters –– The U.S. and China have agreed to take action by mid-July to increase access for U.S. financial firms and expand trade in beef and chicken among other steps as part of Washington’s drive to cut its trade deficit with Beijing. The deals are the first results of 100 days of trade […] Read more