File photo of a roundworm larva. (Dotana/iStock/Getty Images)

Health Canada warns people not to take livestock dewormers

No evidence that drug is effective against COVID-19

Reading Time: 3 minutes “Concerning reports” of people in Canada seeking out veterinary-grade dewormers for personal use have led Health Canada to formally advise against doing so. News reports in Western Canada in the past week have described increased demand from non-farming consumers for veterinary-grade ivermectin, whether at livestock supply retailers or online. While ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug […] Read more

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U.S. reports world’s first deer with COVID-19

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government said Friday it had confirmed the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of […] Read more


World Food Programme executive director David Beasley speaks during an interview with Reuters in Doha, Qatar on Aug. 24, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Alexander Cornwell)

Afghanistan ‘marching towards starvation,’ UN food chief says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Doha | Reuters — Millions of Afghans could soon face starvation due to a combination of conflict, drought and the coronavirus pandemic, the executive director of the World Food Programme said on Tuesday, calling on political leaders to act fast. “There’s a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded […] Read more

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U.S. extends travel curbs at Canada, Mexico land borders

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters –– The United States on Friday extended the closure of its land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel such as tourism through Sept. 21 despite Ottawa’s decision to open its border to vaccinated Americans. The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came after Canada said in […] Read more


Amy Kitchen stands at the door to a greenhouse at Sideroad Farm.

Direct farm marketers shift gears during pandemic lockdown phase

Direct-to-consumer farm marketers learn to manage businesses that have grown much quicker than they expected

Reading Time: 6 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Nestled in the colourfully chaotic flower garden encompassing Sideroad Farm, Amy Kitchen’s sun-browned face flits between appreciation and concern.  Sixteen months past the initial pandemic lockdown in March 2020, Kitchen is in the enviable position of having her Grey County organic on-farm business rocket past its five-year growth plan.  “There’s a lot […] Read more

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Meatpacker Tyson Foods mandates Covid vaccines for workers

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters – Tyson Foods Inc said on Tuesday it was mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for its entire workforce, joining a growing list of major U.S. companies as they face renewed pandemic restrictions due to the fast-spreading Delta variant. Surging COVID-19 cases and new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that requires […] Read more


Higher prices of basic foodstuffs such as corn, soy and meat are affecting food supplies for both animals and people as the U.S. economy picks up steam.  Photo: Thinkstock

Pet food shortages leave owners on the hunt for kibble

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Black short-haired kitty Astra, one of millions of pets acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, had to go without salmon-flavored Whiskas treats that were sold out at stores in New Orleans this month. Loki, an Alaskan malamute dog in Ontario, Canada, did not have his usual Royal Canin kibble in […] Read more



A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. extends travel curbs at land borders through Aug. 21

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. government on Wednesday extended the closure of land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel such as tourism through Aug. 21 even as officials debate whether to require visitors to have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came after […] Read more

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Exemptions, extensions to be granted for rail crossing upgrades

New amendments would exclude low-risk field-to-field crossings

Reading Time: 3 minutes Some farmer-owned field-to-field grade crossings over Canadian rail lines are now expected to be exempted altogether from looming federal requirements for safety upgrades. Proposed amendments to the Grade Crossings Regulations, announced June 18 by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, this week cleared their 30-day public comment period. The amendments are expected to tweak rules which were […] Read more