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Flu outbreak sees buyers balk at beef futures

Cash prices fairly level; beef producers should look into risk management tools, analysts say

Markets have seen cattle futures (mainly live and fed) decline in recent weeks as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain made its way into dairy herds in six states to date. The good news, said a cattle auction leader and market expert, is that cash prices have remained more-or-less steady amid the chaos.


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Ontario extends deadline to lock in RMP coverage

Final date to secure coverage moved to June 30

Grain and oilseed growers and cattle, hog, sheep and veal producers in Ontario now get until June 30 this year to secure coverage under that province’s Risk Management Program (RMP). The province on May 29 announced the deadlines for grain and oilseed producers to submit their completed RMP applications and make any coverage changes —

Editor’s Take: Planning for the unplannable

How do you plan for — and manage — the kind of weather risk Manitoba farmers have suffered through lately? First it was years of prolonged drought, including last year’s acute blast. That crippled crop production, all but halted forage growth and raised the serious risk of some rural communities running out of drinking water.


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Early-pandemic calls to localize supply chains unfounded

With a year's worth of data, three agriculture economists revisit early-pandemic predictions on the food supply chain

With a year's worth of data, three agriculture economists revisit early-pandemic predictions on the food supply chain

A year of data shows early-pandemic calls for radical changes to food systems and risk management programs were unfounded, say some economists. Particularly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, food supply chains struggled to adapt to changing consumption patterns and processors shut down due to virus outbreaks. “Into that void of uncertainty came

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Foreign worker isolation support extended

Federal program extended alongside federal restrictions

The federal program helping employers of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) cover the costs of isolating new workers for two weeks on their arrival in Canada has been extended through November. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Monday that the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program will now run to Nov. 30, as the government


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Report links business management, mental health of farmers

Farm women, young farmers report higher levels of stress, difficulties coping

Ottawa — A new report from Farm Management Canada (FMC) calls for action after determining 75 per cent of Canadian farmers reported being moderately to highly stressed about unpredictable interference, workload pressure and financial pressures. But how a farmer plans his or her business — and associated risks — can help lower that statistic. The

Producers need to pay close attention to four essentials: understanding their situation, understanding their finances, knowing their cost of production and how their commodity is priced.

Risky business? For farmers it’s just another day at the office

Peril can come in all forms, from the predictable to ‘black swan’ events

Farmers, by the nature of their business, must embrace risk. But at the same time, they need to manage it. That was a central theme at the 2020 Keystone Agricultural Producers AGM during a recent Tuesday morning panel discussion on risk management, featuring two farm management experts. Eric Olson, a farm management consultant with MNP’s


Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks at a Montreal convention on March 7, 2019.  Photo: Allan Dawson/File

Bibeau remains federal agriculture minister in shuffle

Updated, Nov. 21— Quebec MP Marie-Claude Bibeau retains her role as federal minister of agriculture and agri-food in Wednesday’s cabinet shake-up for the Liberals’ minority government. Bibeau will join her colleagues — including returning Transport Minister Marc Garneau and new Labour Minister Filomena Tassi, a Hamilton MP and former minister for seniors — in having

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CFA seeks risk management reform, financial aid

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is calling for financial aid for the canola, pork and beef sectors on the heels of a federal announcement that dairy farmers would be compensated for lost market access. “We cannot miss an opportunity to hammer down the message that we have farmers who require support now or they face the very real threat of losing