Drought forces ranchers to sell off their future

When rancher Dianne Riding strides across her brown pasture, sidestepping cracks and popping grasshoppers, she has less company than usual. Record-setting heat and sparse rain left Riding with too little grass or hay to feed her cattle near Lake Francis, Manitoba. She sold 51 head at auction in July, about 40 per cent of her[...]

Have gun will travel

Reuters – Slaughtering cattle is a solitary, but personal business for Gerrit vande Bruinhorst, 55, the mobile butcher of Picture Butte, Alberta. On this day, vande Bruinhorst, a .303 rifle in hand, arrives early at a customer’s ranch. He wears boots, coveralls and a rubber apron to catch any blood. With one shot to the forehead, the 1,300-pound Black Angus steer[...]


Canada extends Ukraine tariff-free access

Winnipeg | Reuters -- Canada on Friday extended Ukraine's tariff-free access for most goods, but tightened access for eggs, poultry and dairy -- sectors protected under the Canadian supply-management system. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said tariff relief for Ukrainian goods such as steel -- a temporary measure started a year ago -- would continue for[...]

Air quality deteriorates as wildfires rage in Western Canada

Reuters -- Calgary received a special weather alert on Tuesday, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility as tinder-dry weather and shifting winds elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in Alberta's north and west. As of Tuesday evening 89 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 25 out of control, according to the provincial[...]


Alberta 'crossing fingers' for rain amid wildfires

Reuters -- Firefighters were counting on rain and cooler weather forecast for Monday to help them quell a dramatic start to Alberta's wildfire season. The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to wildfires in northern and central regions that have displaced nearly 30,000 people and prompted energy producers to shut in[...]

Winter storm causes havoc across Canada

Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters -- Strong winds, freezing rain and heavy snowfall closed schools, cut power to homes and cancelled flights across Canada on Friday as a powerful winter storm swept across the country, prompting authorities to warn people to stay indoors ahead of worsening conditions. The storm is connected to the same freezing weather system[...]


Packers put plants on plates

Some major North American meat producers are clearing room on their plates for plant-based substitutes. They’re hedging their bets as consumer tastes shift and high-tech startups seek to create meat alternatives that taste like the real thing. The trend was highlighted on Monday when Tyson Foods, the biggest U.S. chicken processor, took a five per[...]

China, Philippines suspend beef imports from Canada on BSE case

Winnipeg | Reuters -- China and the Philippines have suspended imports of Canadian beef due to Canada's detection in December of a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a spokesperson for Canada's agriculture department said on Monday. The moves follow an import suspension by South Korea last month, after Canada reported its first BSE[...]


South Korea lifts temporary suspension of Canadian beef

Reuters -- South Korea is lifting its temporary suspension of Canadian beef imports that it imposed after Canada detected a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in December, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Wednesday. South Korea halted the shipments after Canada last month reported its first BSE case in six years. China and the[...]

Canada sees no beef shortage, but prices may rise due to coronavirus

Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters -- The Canadian government is not expecting a beef shortage despite the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in certain meat-packing plants, though prices may rise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. Trudeau added that beef producers are placing a priority on supplying the Canadian market before exporting products. Canada, one of[...]