Pork packer Olymel is preparing to dial back its hog production in Western Canada by shuttering six of its sow units in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Olymel, the agrifood arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative Group, announced Friday it has served 80 employees with layoff notices at five sow units in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan. The […] Read more
Olymel to idle multiple Prairie hog barns
Packer cites 'continued financial losses' in sector
Deere mega-dealership buys into Red Deer market
A central Alberta John Deere dealership which billed itself as “one of the few independently owned” dealers in the region is set to join Cervus Equipment. Calgary-based, publicly-traded Cervus announced Friday it will buy Red Deer-based Deermart Equipment Sales for an undisclosed sum. Deermart, owned by John Donald, Jack Donald and Abe Derksen since 1982, […] Read more
Online livestock supply store expands reach west
An Ontario livestock nutrition firm’s venture into online retail for producers is expanding into the Prairie provinces with four pickup and ordering points in the region. Cambridge, Ont.-based GVF Group announced Thursday its Farmers Farmacy business, previously available only to producers in Ontario, the Maritime provinces and Quebec, now also serves Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. […] Read more
Olymel plans sausage production at Red Deer
New equipment and refrigerated storage are going into Olymel’s Alberta pork processing plant at Red Deer as the facility gets into the sausage business. Pork and poultry processor Olymel, owned mainly by Quebec agribusiness co-operative La Coop federee, announced Monday it will put up $2 million to convert a section of the Red Deer plant […] Read more
Paterson to build new central Alta. elevator
Winnipeg’s Paterson Grain has lined up property off the QE2 Highway in central Alberta for its next inland grain terminal. The company announced Monday it would start construction “immediately” at a site near Bowden, Alta., about 40 km south of Red Deer, to start taking grain in 2017. The facility, when complete, will have storage […] Read more
Coop Federee to offer Olymel stake
Reuters — Quebec-based La Coop Federee, one of Canada’s biggest farmer co-operatives, is offering for sale up to 49 per cent of pork processor Olymel, to help fund expansion in Western Canada, CEO Gaetan Desroches said in an interview. La Co-op would retain control of Olymel, which along with Maple Leaf Foods is one of […] Read more
Lots to learn at beef conference
Alberta Beef Industry Conference runs from Feb. 17-19 in Red Deer
Reading Time: < 1 minute Industry trends, animal health, and the prospects for Alberta’s economy are on the agenda at the 2016 Alberta Beef Industry Conference in Red Deer next month. The Feb. 17-19 event will feature presentations from Gary Haley (CEO of Vantage Foods), Brian Evans (deputy director general, the World Organization for Animal Health), and Todd Hirsch (ATB […] Read more
Producers wanted for labour focus group
Meting to take place on Nov. 12 in Red Deer, Alta.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers are being sought for a focus group on labour and skill shortages in agriculture. The focus group will meet on Nov. 12 at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer and is being hosted by Alberta Canola Producers and the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. The council is working with farmers across Canada to develop […] Read more
Teamwork at the Canadian Supreme
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Supreme wrapped up another successful show at Red Deer’s Westerner Park last weekend, with more than 600 entries and $400,000 in prize money being handed out. The event celebrates the working cow horse, with competitions in three categories: cutting, cow horse, and reining. Pictured above is John Thomas of Spruce Grove, riding Dual Smart […] Read more
Survival mode: Three allies to help you deal with drought
Young producer says knowing exactly how many days of grazing are left is a ‘game changer’ in a drought year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Cattle producer Blake Hall isn’t about to sugar-coat things. “People are so petrified of the word drought, but we’ve been using it for the last three weeks,” the Red Deer cattle producer said in a July 7 interview. “We stopped seeing any significant regrowth in our pastures about five weeks ago. Now we’re in drought-management […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
