Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec’s cattle producers have voted their approval of an extra checkoff to support the producer-owned Levinoff-Colbex beef packing plant, according to the farm newspaper La terre de chez nous. During their annual general assembly Thursday in Quebec City, a majority of the province’s cattle producers backed a resolution favouring a $30 million top-up for the […] Read more
Que. cattle producers vote to back Colbex
NRCan launches renewable energy site for farmers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Natural Resources Canada has gone live with a new resource web site for farmers considering renewable energy to power their operations. The Integration of Renewable Energy on the Farm (IREF) web site is billed as a “complete repository of technical information and online tools for analyzing the potential for integrating renewable energy sources onto individual […] Read more
Ont. greenhouse growers approve checkoff
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ontario’s growers of cut flowers, potted plants and bedding annuals have voted to be represented by Flowers Canada (Ontario) and to pay a mandatory checkoff to fund it. Eligible greenhouse floriculture growers voted 78.4 per cent in favour of Flowers Canada (Ontario) becoming their representative organization — and in favour of paying an annual license […] Read more
Ontario broadens animal welfare powers
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Ontario government will expand the powers available to animal welfare inspectors and boost its penalties for animal cruelty offenses in legislation expected to be introduced Wednesday. The province said in a release Wednesday that the overhaul of its Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act will allow “appropriate exemptions” in cases involving animal agriculture, veterinary […] Read more
Bayer to join WeatherBug’s Prairie network
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bayer CropScience plans to bring its farmer customers, retail outlets and business partners into WeatherBug’s network of local weather monitoring stations across the Canadian Prairies. WeatherBug, a U.S. weather monitoring firm, announced in August last year that it would work with the Canadian Wheat Board and JRI’s Prairie grain handling subsidiary, Pioneer Grain, to establish […] Read more
Ont. growers’ groups back on merger track
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario’s corn, wheat and soybean growers’ groups have signed a new memo of understanding toward forming one organization. The MOU, announced Thursday, commits the boards of the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, Ontario Soybean Growers and Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board to hold votes among their farmer members on their merger under a new name, “Grain […] Read more
Smoky diesel trucks in B.C. face fines
Reading Time: < 1 minute British Columbia drivers who don’t keep a lid on emissions from heavy diesel trucks will now be liable for fines and warnings, the province announced Tuesday. The B.C. transportation ministry has moved its AirCare On-Road (ACOR) program from “educational” to “enforcement” mode, now allowing for fines of $95 and warnings for drivers to get trucks […] Read more
N.B., Yukon approve APF extensions
Reading Time: 2 minutes The New Brunswick and Yukon governments officially agreed Wednesday to extend funding for some federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programming in their provinces. Both the province and the territory announced they will extend their share of funding up until April 1, 2009 at the latest. The extension applies to four ag programming pillars of the […] Read more
Alta. pledges $85M for southern irrigation
Reading Time: < 1 minute The water delivery agency for about 400 southern Alberta farmers’ irrigated land will get $85 million from the province to fix up its canals and add off-stream storage. “It’s a huge step forward in helping improve water efficiency, which is a key priority under Alberta’s Water for Life strategy,” Environment Minister Rob Renner said in […] Read more
Beef packer Gencor Foods shuts doors
Reading Time: 2 minutes Citing new federal regulations that made it uncompetitive, cull cow packer Gencor Foods (GFI) has shut down its Kitchener, Ont. plant effective Tuesday, laid off its 124 workers and announced plans to file for bankruptcy. GFI, a subsidiary of Ontario’s producer-owned livestock genetics company Gencor, formed three years ago to process cull cows after the […] Read more