How do you get more from less? Ask the Canadian dairy industry. Since 2005, the number of dairy farms in Canada has fallen by 15 per cent. The number of cows is down 3.7 per cent. But the annual volume of milk produced has increased 3.6 per cent over the past five years, according to
More Milk From Fewer Cows
Flood Aid For Cattle Producers Still Pending
Federal officials remain tight lipped about an emergency aid package for flooded Manitoba cattle producers as winter closes in on an industry already short of feed. “We’re working just as hard and quickly as we can,” was all Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz would say during a Nov. 19 stopover in Winnipeg as the first snowstorm
Australian Retailer Bans Pork From Sow Stalls
Canada’s pork producers are scrambling to learn more about a major Australian grocery chain’s decision to ban pork from countries that use sow gestation crates. Coles Supermarkets said last week all its imported pork products, including processed ham and bacon, will have to be from pigs raised without the use of sow stalls. Gary Stordy,
Tories Demand Agriculture Committee Meet
The Progressive Conservative opposition is demanding the government activate a dormant legislative committee to map out future directions for farming in Manitoba. The Tories say they want the standing committee on agriculture and food, which hasn’t met for over a year and a half, to get together and develop plans for the industry. “We need
Compensation To Continue For
Manitoba Water Stewardship promises to formalize compensation for property owners who experience summer flooding damage from the Red River Floodway. Currently, people who suffer upstream flooding damage from emergency use of the floodway are compensated under rules governing the facility’s operations. The province says it will embed compensation in law instead of just having it
Notre Dame Hog Case Headed To Court
A farm couple from the Rural Municipality of Lorne faces multiple charges of animal cruelty in what authorities call one of the worst cases of livestock abuse they have ever seen. Martin and Dolores Grenier have been accused of 23 counts under the provincial Animal Care Act after more than 2,000 pigs were found starving
Agriculture Called Key To Protecting Biodiversity
An international accord to protect the world’s endangered species highlights the need for environmental goods and services programs for farmers, a Canadian farm leader says. Farmers can do a lot to protect nature if given the tools to do it, said Ron Bonnett, Canadian Federation of Agriculture president. So producers should not be left out
Farmers, Province Spar Over Pig Cleanup Duty
Farmers and the government disagree over who’s responsible for cleaning up the mess that follows livestock abuse cases. Producers say Manitoba Conservation should have had a plan to remove pig carcasses from a barn earlier this summer in what authorities call one of the worst cases of animal cruelty ever seen in the province. But
Cattle Industry Gets New Industry Code Of Practice
Canada’s cattle producers will get a new beef industry code of practice to guide their on-farm operations. The revised code, expected in 2013, will replace the existing one which dates back to 1991. The process will bring together producers, humane societies, scientists, veterinarians, transporters, government representatives and food industry officials to develop voluntary guidelines for
PRRS Costs Run Higher Than Expected
New research shows the cost of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) to the Canadian swine industry is far greater than previously known. An analysis by the George Morris Centre estimates PRRS costs the industry at least $130 million a year and possibly higher. The finding could point to the need for a national strategy