A land and cattle operation that includes consistent cover crops in a diverse cropping mix can offer several benefits, including improved soil fitness, better equipment and water holding capacity, and a decreased diesel fuel bill. In this episode of the Soil School, Bernard Tobin is joined by Elmwood, Ont.-based Ken Schaus from Schaus Land and... Read More
Category: Livestock
The Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) held its annual general meeting October 23, via Zoom, and the chair's opening report directly addressed the ongoing issue of dissension within the membership and the Canadian sheep industry as a whole. "I am frustrated by the distrust in our industry that has led to too many acrimonious and hostile... Read More
Most of us learned early that you need to keep your promises if you want to be trusted. In politics, however, promises are rarely kept; instead, they're wiggled out of, often after an election, giving politicians a terrible reputation in the trust department. In the last several years, supply management has not prevented Canada negotiating... Read More
The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is calling on the federal government to keep its promise on compensation for dairy farmers, stemming from international trade deals that allowed for dairy product access into Canada's supply managed value chain. "When a dairy farmer makes a commitment, his or her word is gold. We hold our government... Read More
Exceldor says it's dealing with 27 positive cases of COVID-19 among employees at the farmer-owned co-op's poultry processing plant at Blumenort, Manitoba, as of Wednesday afternoon. The facility, which was owned by Granny's Poultry before Granny's merged with Exceldor last year, employs around 650 people. "We are dealing with cases of community transmission beyond our... Read More
Fifty years ago, supply management was formed to "save the family farm" and today, the reason for such a system to exist is becoming less clear to some researchers and analysts. A report was recently released on the future of supply management, titled Supply Management 2.0, A Possible Roadmap for the Canadian Dairy Industry. Dr.... Read More
Those opposed to supply management of dairy in Canada often point to other countries that have moved away from the system as success stories. But delving deeper into some of these systems shows that not all dairy value chains can be compared apples to apples (carton to carton?), but that like it or not, the... Read More
University of Saskatchewan forage breeder and professor emeritus Dr. Bruce Coulman has been appointed the interim director of the school's Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence. Coulman will replace Kris Ringwall, who is retiring at the end of the month. Ringwall joined the centre around the time it opened in late 2018 and oversaw the... Read More
JBS Foods Canada has announced a long-term commitment with Kanematsu, a Japanese food service and distribution company. Japan imported 49,317 tonnes of Canadian beef valued at $353.5 million in 2019. The company will focus on using Alberta Beef-branded product, including Northern Gold and the Canadian Diamond Black Angus brand, in development of this overseas partnership.... Read More
Many ranches across the prairies are getting into the weening season, which can mean only one thing — the weather is changing, and it's changing rapidly. The weather isn't the only thing that has been cooling down though — December live cattle futures dropped significantly over the past week, as Anne Wasko, of the Gateway... Read More