“We’re not doing active testing right now unless we have a suspicion of the disease.” – DR. DOROTHY GEALE, CFIA An anaplasmosis outbreak in southeastern Manitoba livestock herds is starting to tail off with no new cases reported since earlier this spring. The last confirmed case on April 26 involved a herd of bison in
Anaplasmosis Outbreak Quiets Down
Winnipeg Group Seeks Backyard Chicken Option
Darby Jones moved a small step closer last week toward enabling Winnipeggers to do what many rural Manitobans do: raise chickens in their backyards. A Winnipeg civic committee voted to refer Jones’s backyard chicken petition to a city council committee for further study. The Riel Community Committee passed the issue on to the city’s standing
Wetlands Policy Needs Incentives: McPa
Policies to protect wetlands in Manitoba should not be a financial burden on farmers, a public consultation hearing was told last week. Producers should receive financial incentives to preserve wetlands. They should not be forced to do so by expensive environmental rules, according to the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association. Art Jonasson, an MCPA director, told
Milk Quota Values Soar In West, Stall In East
“The market will determine the limits on quota prices.” – DAVID WIENS The value of milk quota in Manitoba hit an all-time high this month, topping $30,000 per kilogram of butterfat for the first time ever. A quota exchange conducted June 1 established a clearing price of $31,000/kg, based on 29 successful bids to buy
Wool Prices May Finally Start Seeing The Light
“I think we’ve hit the bottom and will see a growth mode going forward.” – ERIC BJERGSO, CCWG Wool prices may finally be starting to recover after collapsing two years ago because of the global recession. The world wool market recorded “positive gains” in the first quarter of 2010 after gradually stabilizing in the second
AgriRecovery Faces Stiff Test From Prairie Flooding
Anational program to help farmers affected by natural disasters faces a severe test from floods jeopardizing the entire 2010 western Canadian crop. AgriRecovery is aimed at mitigating the effects of a disaster and helping producers resume business operations. The program is intended to fill gaps left by other programs such as AgriStability and crop insurance.
Meat Price Surge Not Expected In Canada
“There’s definitely a stall on here.” – PERRY MOHR Canada is unlikely to see a surge in meat prices this summer, unlike the United States, where pork and beef prices soared earlier this spring. The wholesale price of pork in the U. S. increased as much as 25 per cent in April, while beef rose
Farmers Warned About Rising Interest Rates
The Bank of Montreal is telling Canada’s farmers to do a better job of managing their debt or risk instability from higher interest rates. BMO cites George Brinkman, an authority on farm viability, as warning about “an unsettling outlook” from high levels of farm debt made worse by rising interest rates over the next three
Cattle Producers Revive Drought Aid Call
Manitoba cattle producers have renewed demands for financial assistance to their drought-stricken regions, following a federal drought aid announcement for Alberta and Saskatchewan last week. The Manitoba Cattle Producers Association is calling for a government program to trigger drought relief payments for individual producers as needed. Such a program would avoid arguments between producers and
New Survey Devastatingly Critical Of AgriStability
Anew survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reveals deep unhappiness among producers with AgriStability, the country’s major farm income stabilization program. Nearly 60 per cent of CFIB agr ibusinesses surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with the program, calling it too complicated, expensive, unpredictable and just plain ineffective. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents said they were
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