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Iowa Pork Producers president Kevin Rasmussen (left) speaks alongside Manitoba Pork chair Rick Prejet (centre) and Minnesota Pork Producers president John Anderson (right).
Hogs, News

North American pork producers face tight labour market

U.S. packers struggling to staff up, sending hams to Mexico for processing, producers heard

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Labour issues for pork producers and processors in Iowa and Minnesota are just as dire as in Manitoba, pork producers heard during their AGM on April 6. “Currently labour is our No. 1 issue on the farm as well as in the plants,” said Kevin Rasmussen, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Rasmussen spoke
Workers in the JBS beef plant at Brooks, Alta. appear in a screen shot from a 2018 corporate video. (JBS Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Changes to TFW program to expand worker availability

Workplace LMIAs now valid for 18 months

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The federal government is boosting the availability of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to ag and other understaffed sectors under a list of policy changes announced Monday. Employment and Workforce Development Minister Carla Qualtrough announced what’s called the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Workforce Solutions Road Map, which the government said “marks the next step in
(Shadowinternet/E+/Getty Images)
Hogs, Livestock, Markets

Pork industry looks ahead from turbulent 2021

Pork prices expected to stay elevated in 2022

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MarketsFarm — Labour shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, high feed costs and lower prices posed constant threats to Canada’s hog industry in 2021. Nevertheless, pork appears to be in a good spot entering 2022, according to two analysts. “2021 was not the best, but not the worst,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk management
(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)
Markets

Vaccine mandate to lead to inflation, empty shelves, trucking executives say

Parallel mandate for U.S. entry starts Saturday

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Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian consumers should soon see higher prices and some empty shelves in supermarkets and other retail outlets because of disruptions stemming from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, top trucking executives warned this week. The mandate, imposed by Ottawa to help curb the spread of the virus, has cost six
File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage

Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered

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A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage
Workers set up a temporary building for John Deere on Jan. 3, 2022 in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center in preparation for CES 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Steve Marcus)
Crops

Deere says its robo-tractors are ready to till the fields

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Detroit | Reuters — Deere and Co. said Tuesday it will start commercial delivery this year of technology that enables a tractor to till a field without an operator in the cab, a first for the top North American tractor manufacturer after years of effort to automate farm work. Deere plans a low-volume launch this
Farmer livelihoods will be threatened if weak visa rules allow dodgy operators to mistreat migrant workers.
Comment, Op/Ed

Comment: The perils of temporary labour

Australia’s new agricultural work visa could supercharge the forces of exploitation

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The Australian government’s new temporary visa for agricultural workers is meant to fix labour shortages in the agricultural sector. But it’s a risky approach that could lead to more exploitation of low-skilled farm workers and fewer permanent skilled workers. The agriculture sector is heavily reliant on temporary visa holders for labour, with the two main
(Fly View Productions/E+/Getty Images)
Livestock, Markets

U.S. packer profit margins jumped 300 per cent during pandemic, economists say

Increased costs don't explain higher profits, White House advisors say

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Washington | Reuters — Four of the biggest meat-processing companies, using their market power in the highly consolidated U.S. market to drive up meat prices and underpay farmers, have tripled their own net profit margins since the pandemic started, White House economics advisers said. Financial statements of the meat-processing companies — which control 55 to
Comment, Op/Ed

Comment: Running with the big Deere

Labour unrest and record profits underscore importance of equipment maker

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In an effort to maintain its enviable, 34-year run of labour peace, Deere & Co. and the United Auto Workers recently announced a deal to boost worker pay — by 20 per cent over five and six years, Deere said — to keep the iconic green-and-yellow machines rolling off its 11 assembly lines and through
A shortage of workers has existed for decades, and its trajectory is “alarming,” says the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
News, Other

National strategy in development to address ag labour crunch

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture says trajectory of ongoing worker shortage is ‘alarming’

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A group of ag and food organizations will band together to develop a national strategy addressing labour shortages in the farm and food sectors. “Labour challenges in agriculture have been ongoing for decades, and are one of the most prominent factors obstructing the remarkable growth potential that has been identified for Canadian agriculture and our agri-food industry as

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