The Yukon government has launched a pilot program to help cover veterinarians’ travel and service expenses for farm calls. The territory government on Tuesday announced it will accept up to 30 farmers for the pilot of the Veterinary Services Program, running from now to the end of March 2016. The program will reimburse participating veterinarians
Yukon to help cover livestock vets’ travel costs
Avian flu risk higher with fall migrations
Poultry farmers in Ontario are being warned to keep biosecurity top of mind as wild birds get ready to fly south this fall. “With the fall weather quickly approaching, resulting in colder temperatures and wild bird migrations, the threat of re-emergence of (highly pathogenic avian influenza) is real,” the Feather Board Command Centre, the emergency
Replacing insecticides with sex in pest control
Genetically engineered male moths prevent females from reproducing
Cornell University researchers are combining two biotechnologies to control diamondback moths with sex instead of insecticide. The pesky feeders on crucifer crops, including canola, mustards and vegetables, have developed resistance to many insecticides as well as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a soil bacteria that has been genetically engineered into corn and cotton to help control such
Farm managers seek a few good aggies for awards
Agriculture students may be eligible for financial encouragement to improve their communication, critical thinking and leadership skills through Farm Management Canada’s national awards program. FMC and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs (CADAP) recently opened the 2015-16 edition of their Excellence Award for Agricultural Students, with a top prize of $1,500. The awards
Agricultural Hall of Fame: Glen Findlay
The Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame inducted eight new members in July 2015. Here is one of the new inductees
Glen Findlay was born and raised on the family farm at Shoal Lake, Manitoba, where he also received his early education. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1963 with a bachelor of science in agriculture and the Governor’s Gold Medal. In 1964, he received his master of science in animal nutrition. He then
Researchers sequence two-thirds of the barley genome
Information may allow more targeted selection of quality characteristics
A team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside says it has reached a new milestone in its work on sequencing the barley genome. In a release Aug. 26, the researchers said they have sequenced large portions of the genome that together contain nearly two-thirds of all barley genes. They said because barley
Canada losing bluetongue-free status
New findings of bluetongue in cattle in Canada — outside the one area of the country where the virus previously gained a toehold — have trading partners shutting their ports to Canadian livestock genetics and animals. Three cattle from one farm in southwestern Ontario’s Chatham-Kent municipality have now tested positive for bluetongue serotype 13 —
Federal farm politicians lining up for debate
UPDATED, Sept. 29 — Canada’s incumbent agriculture minister and three of his federal critics are so far confirmed for a pre-election debate on farming issues later this month. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, working with media partner (and operator of this website) Glacier FarmMedia, will host the national agriculture leaders’ debate on Sept. 30 in Ottawa. Western
National Farmers Union denounces Lethbridge ‘libricide’
The National Farmers Union has denounced the destruction of publicly funded science documents that were reportedly destroyed recently at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge research station. “This is just the latest in a long line of government libraries where collections were tossed into dumpsters, burned or went to landfills,” the NFU said in a release.
CFIA clears more states for cross-border poultry traffic
Travellers entering Canada from the U.S. may now bring in uncooked poultry products, live poultry and eggs from seven of the 15 states that have had outbreaks of avian flu since December. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Tuesday confirmed it now considers the states of Washington, Idaho, California and Oregon free of highly
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