Reading Time: 2 minutes Country-of-origin labelling — a.k.a. COOL — isn’t cool for Alberta’s beef producers. “We’re an exporting industry, and trade issues like country-of-origin labelling are probably our top priority,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “In terms of the negative impact of COOL, it continues to have an impact of close to $1 billion […] Read more
Alberta Beef: Keep up country-of-origin labelling battle
Farm Vote: Rich Smith says next government must maintain the pressure on Washington in long-running dispute
Opportunities abound in horticulture, says provincial specialist
The financial startup costs are typically lower and a host of information resources is available
Reading Time: 2 minutes More people are interested in a career in agriculture these days and horticulture offers many opportunities, says a commercial horticulture specialist. “Increased interest in local production as well as the desire to know where and how food is grown means more people are looking to get into agriculture and primary production,” said Dustin Morton. Horticulture […] Read more
Western states to get US$110M in drought aid
Washington | Reuters — The White House said Friday it would spend an additional US$110 million to help farmers and communities in western states hit hard by drought and wildfires. The drought has affected a third of the western United States, and President Barack Obama was slated to discuss it with western governors in a […] Read more
No relief in sight for U.S. West’s drought in spring outlook
Chicago | Reuters — Drought pressures will increase in California and western areas of the U.S. this spring even as the dry season begins, the government’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. “Periods of record warmth in the West and not enough precipitation during the rainy season cut short drought relief in California this winter and […] Read more
New Washington poultry quarantine set up near B.C. border
Reuters — The state of Washington said Tuesday it has established a third poultry quarantine zone just outside British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, after state officials discovered a flock of about 100 birds infected with an avian influenza virus. The Washington State Department of Agriculture adopted an emergency rule on Sunday to establish the new quarantine […] Read more
Canada blocks poultry, eggs from U.S. Northwest
Birds, eggs and poultry products from Washington and Oregon are being kept out of Canada after findings of high-path avian flu in a pair of backyard flocks in those states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 24 reported highly pathogenic (“high-path”) H5N2 avian flu in a backyard free-range flock of geese, turkeys, chickens, ducks […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
