Reuters –– Sheep herders in the U.S. West have banded together to sue their employers, accusing them of operating an illegal cartel that artificially suppresses their wages, according to court documents filed Wednesday in Nevada. The case could have implications for how antitrust laws are applied to labour markets, according to legal experts, as the […] Read more
U.S. sheep herders’ suit alleges cartel-like wage suppression
U.S. to lift BSE-related rules off sheep, goat imports
New scrapie-specific rules take effect next month
U.S. restrictions that have hindered that country’s imports of live Canadian sheep and goats, going back to the start of the BSE crisis in 2003, are set to be scrapped and replaced with rules applying specifically to scrapie. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Friday published a new […] Read more
Britain, New Zealand strike free trade deal
London/Wellington | Reuters — Britain and New Zealand have reached agreement in principle on a free trade deal designed to reduce tariffs, improve services trade, and take London one step closer to membership in a broader trans-Pacific trade agreement. Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern sealed the deal in a Zoom call on Wednesday […] Read more
StatsCan sees higher cattle, hog inventories at July 1
Full impacts of West's drought not yet counted
Nationwide head counts of livestock from the “early stages” of Western Canada’s ongoing drought won’t yet show the weather’s full impact, but showed slightly larger herds heading into this summer compared to last year. Statistics Canada on Monday reported the first year-over-year increase in the size of the country’s cattle herd as of July 1 […] Read more
The sheep are baa-ck — and Fort Saskatchewan is thrilled
Reading Time: 3 minutes The sheep have returned to Fort Saskatchewan for the summer. But for the first time in 28 years, they’re being managed by new shepherds. The Alberta community’s flock has become an institution over the past three decades, and a major tourist draw. So many were worried when Ralph and Kathy Playdon, who have been tending […] Read more
Anthrax kills southeastern Saskatchewan sheep
Spores forced up by changes in soil moisture
Dramatic shifts in soil moisture are again bringing anthrax spores to the surface on the Prairies, this time in a southeastern Saskatchewan sheep pasture. Lab results on Wednesday confirmed anthrax as the cause of death of one animal in a flock of sheep in the R.M. of South Qu’Appelle, about 50 km east of Regina, […] Read more
Shepherds (really) wanted
Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. is seeking shepherds' services for its unique tourist attraction
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fort Saskatchewan is looking for some new shepherds, as Kathy and Ralph Playton are hanging up their shepherd’s crooks. The Alberta city inadvertently created its very popular tourist attraction nearly three decades ago. “In 1992, the railroad moved out of town and it left a huge space of land that was very difficult to mow […] Read more
Blast kills at least 23 at Afghanistan livestock market
Area shelled in clashes between government forces, Taliban
Kabul | Reuters — At least 23 civilians were killed in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province and dozens were wounded when rockets hit a cattle market on Monday, Afghan government and Taliban officials said. The warring sides blamed each other for the attack on the open-air weekly cattle market in Sangin district, where hundreds of villagers […] Read more
Uruguayan shearers flown in to relieve sweltering Spanish sheep
Expert shearers authorized to enter country amid COVID-19 pandemic
Villafale, Spain | Reuters — Brought to Spain on a special flight amid the coronavirus lockdown, some 250 Uruguayan sheep shearers race against time to shear millions of Spanish sheep as sweltering summer temperatures hit. The Uruguayan shearers come to Spain every year, where farmers value them for their skills, their speed and particular care […] Read more
Ontario extends RMP deadlines for crops, livestock
Move won't create coverage gaps, Agricorp says
Ontario grain, oilseed and livestock producers will get extra time to apply for, make changes to or cancel coverage under the provincial Risk Management Program (RMP). Agricorp, the province’s ag program delivery agency, announced Wednesday the new deadline for applications or coverage changes for 2020 will be June 30. The previous deadlines to apply or […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
