Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s agriculture minister will get a Quebec dairyman and grain farmer turned rookie Liberal MP as his new parliamentary secretary. Jean-Claude Poissant, who won the re-formed Montreal-area riding of La Prairie for the Liberals on Oct. 19 by a spread of almost 5,900 votes over Bloc Quebecois contender Christian Picard, was named Wednesday as parliamentary […] Read more
Que. dairyman named parliamentary ag secretary
Feed was ‘most plausible’ source of BSE in Case 19
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada’s food safety agency is still tracking down the last herdmates of the country’s 19th domestic case of BSE, but will otherwise assume the Alberta cow most likely caught the disease from traces of proteins in its early feed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Nov. 30 submitted its final report on Case 19 — […] Read more
Alta. to tweak farm worker bill for ‘clarity’
Reading Time: 4 minutes With consultations only just out of the gate and the legislation awaiting second reading, the Alberta government already plans to amend Bill 6, its farm and ranch worker protection bill, for “greater clarity.” While not mentioning recent vocal protests over the bill, provincial Labour Minister Lori Sigurdson announced Tuesday the bill will be amended to “make clear what […] Read more
VIDEO: Bluevale, Ont., family named Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Mike and Amy Cronin’s management skills, sound core-business values and team of trusted employees have helped build a successful international hog operation that has not only survived, but grew in often volatile market conditions. “I think it’s pretty humbling, actually,” says Amy Cronin on the couple’s win as Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer. “It could have been any one […] Read more
Poultry, eggs from seven U.S. states still blocked at border
Reading Time: 2 minutes While the U.S. has declared itself free of high-path avian flu, Canada is still warning cross-border travellers not to bring in poultry or eggs from seven previously affected states. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Thursday — a.k.a. Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. — rolled out a statement to remind travellers that Canada’s restrictions […] Read more
Alta. farm bill applies to paid workers only, minister says
Reading Time: 3 minutes UPDATED, Nov. 28, 2015 — New legislation applying Alberta’s rules on workplace standards and workers’ compensation to farm workers is meant for farms’ paid employees — not for family members or neighbours helping out on family farms. The province’s labour minister has said as much after stormy early going in the government’s consultations on Bill […] Read more
GTA police track down alleged cheesenappers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Three Toronto-area men face theft charges after a tractor trailer load of cheese took a late-night road trip in the wee hours Wednesday. The truckload of cheese had been reported stolen from the Brampton, Ont. area on Tuesday, York Regional Police said in a release. The YRP said they then got a call shortly after […] Read more
No fallout seen for Enlist Duo in Canada from U.S. action
Reading Time: 2 minutes The company behind Enlist corn and soybeans and Enlist Duo herbicide expects business as usual for the products in Canada, while the herbicide runs up against a new regulatory hurdle in the U.S. According to the Reuters news service, the U.S. federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a request late Tuesday with the U.S. Court […] Read more
Nufarm to shut Calgary herbicide plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes Crop chemical manufacturer Nufarm plans to make its North American business more “cost-effective” by shutting its plant in Calgary and shipping the production work to Chicago. The “rationalization” in Calgary, expected to be complete by next fall, “will allow us to increase flexibility, reduce complexity and more efficiently utilize our facilities,” Nufarm manufacturing group executive Elbert […] Read more
Co-op Atlantic to shed feed, grain, ag retail arms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec agrifood giant La Coop federee is expanding its reach in Atlantic Canada with a deal to take over most of Co-op Atlantic’s agribusinesses. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will see La Coop take over Co-op Atlantic’s feed mills at Moncton and at New Minas and Truro, N.S., as well as the Moncton-based co-operative’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
