COVID-19 Archives | Country Guide

COVID-19 and the farm: Stories from the GFM network

By Staff 1 day ago

Reading Time: 16 minutes COVID-19 has added an unprecedented level of uncertainty and disruption to the agricultural communities we serve. Throughout this crisis, Glacier FarmMedia is leveraging the strength of its farm news network to help you stay up to date on developments important to your family and farm. Look here for links to all the coverage provided by our […] Read more

General, Machinery

Outdoor Farm Show relocating to cyberspace for 2020

In-person event cancelled due to COVID-19

By Dave Bedard 2 days ago

Reading Time: < 1 minute Another major event on Eastern Canada’s fall farming calendar has halted its up-close-and-in-person plans for 2020 but expects to follow its western sister event into virtual space. Glacier FarmMedia, the owner/operator of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and of this website, announced Monday it will cancel its event scheduled for Sept. 15-17 at Canada’s Outdoor Park […] Read more

Livestock, Reuters

Mink infected two humans with COVID-19, Dutch government says

By Toby Sterling 2 days ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes Amsterdam | Reuters — Mink with the coronavirus have infected two people in the Netherlands in what are probably the first such cases of transmission during the epidemic, government and health authorities said on Monday. Mink carrying the virus were found on four of the 155 farms in the country where they are bred for […] Read more

General, Markets

New Brunswick to lift ban on temporary foreign workers

Damage 'already been done' for farmers, NFU-NB says

By Dave Bedard 5 days ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes New Brunswick plans to end its ban on the entry of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) next week as the province moves to the “yellow” level in its COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan. The ban, announced April 28, will end effective May 29, Premier Blaine Higgs said Friday in an announcement some farmers say comes too late […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets

JBS resumes second shift at Alberta beef plant

Out of 650 COVID cases at plant, 11 are 'active'

By Dave Bedard 6 days ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes Meat giant JBS’s Alberta beef packing plant has resumed two daily shifts as of Thursday, as fewer than a dozen of its 2,600-plus employees are now sidelined by COVID-19. The JBS plant at Brooks, about 170 km east of Calgary, is “slowly returning to two shifts as of today,” the company said Thursday in a […] Read more

What do you do if a farmhand calls in sick? This is when having a well-trained workforce can go a long way to reducing confusion.

Guide Business

What’s your emergency plan?

It’s more than COVID-19. Here’s why having an emergency plan ready for action is more important — and more achievable — than ever

By Angela Lovell 6 days ago

Reading Time: 10 minutes You can look at it as one of the good sides of COVID-19. It’s reminding all of us that emergencies do happen, they can come when you least expect them, and they can upset practically every part of your operation. Even before COVID-19, it was easy to find experts eager to tell us why we […] Read more

Corn, Crops, Markets

CBOT weekly outlook: Ag commodities steady

Slack demand for biofuel has dragged on corn

By Marlo Glass – MarketsFarm May 21, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Crop commodity values on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) have largely stabilized as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed in several U.S. states. “We’ve been playing this virus for a few months now,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities in Barrington, Ill. COVID-19-related lockdown measures decimated demand for ethanol, which put considerable pressure on […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

USDA sets coronavirus aid payments for corn, soy, wheat

By Reuters May 20, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers that grow crops including corn and soybeans will receive coronavirus assistance payments based on either half of their 2019 production or the supplies they had on hand as of Jan. 15, the government said on Tuesday. The coronavirus aid is the latest in a round of government payments that […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

Trump floats halt to U.S. cattle imports as pandemic hurts ranchers

'We have a lot of cattle in this country'

By Steve Holland, Tom Polansek May 19, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington/Chicago | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States should consider terminating trade deals under which it imports cattle as he looks to help U.S. ranchers hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The United States imports cattle from Mexico and Canada to supplement domestic supplies at lower prices and to […] Read more

General, Markets, Reuters

Canada, U.S. agree on extension for ban on non-essential travel

By Reuters May 19, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and the United States have agreed to extend a ban on non-essential travel between the two nations by another 30 days as part of the fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. U.S. and Canadian officials had said last week it was likely that the measure […] Read more

Legalization lifts Canada’s net farm income in 2019

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures follow equities higher

Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpeas recover from previous lows

GFM Network News