Backers provide three-year funding for 4R

The organizations that fund the 4R nutrient management program have renewed funding to continue it for another three years.

The renewal of the partnership among Fertilizer Canada, Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Agri Business Association, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario “ensures the continued advancement of sustainable agriculture in Ontario,” said a statement from the organizations.

A total of $382,500 over three years is being invested towards Fertilizer Canada’s 4R Certification program for agri-retailers in Ontario. 

The organizations say they want to provide Ontario’s producers with solutions to the increased pressure of reducing their environmental impact.

Tribunal members re-appointed

Kirk Walstedt, a lawyer from Maidstone, has been re-appointed to a one-year term as chairman of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal.

John O’Kane, a lawyer from Collingwood and one of several vice-chairmen, has been re-appointed for six months.

Patricia Meehan, a lawyer and judge from Sudbury is another vice-chairman who has been re-appointed for one year.

How many lawyers does it take to make an agricultural appeals tribunal? A lot, I guess.

Washing prepared salad mixes not necessary

It doesn’t help to wash lettuce salads that come prepared and packaged, reports Ben Chapman, citing a research study.

Chapman is a food safety specialist who studied at the University of Guelph and now is an associate professor at  North Carolina State University at Raleigh and he doesn’t wash them.

“I’m following recommendations from a bunch of my food safety friends who reviewed the literature on cut, bagged, washed, ready-to-eat leafy greens from a few years ago,” Chapman writes on the Barfblog website.

In the abstract, they write:

“The panel concluded that leafy green salad in sealed bags labeled “washed” or “ready-to-eat” that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under cGMPs, does not need additional washing at the time of use unless specifically directed on the label.”

Chapman said leafy green food safety risks need to be addressed before they get to me; all I can do by washing it again is increase the chance I cross-contaminate the salad precursor in my home. 

“My purchasing choice is based in trust that growers, packers and processors know what they are doing, and do it. “But at best, they can only remove 90-99 per cent of what is there with a wash.

“And I can’t do any better,” he wrote.

Chinese develop genetic disease solution

Chinese researchers say they have successfully edited pig genes to counter classical swine fever.

Their genetically-modified pigs will not allow the disease to multiply.

As a result, the treated pigs showed fewer symptoms of classical swine fever and fewer deaths.

They believe the alteration can be transmitted to offspring.

Their research report is published in the in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens.

The authors say their approach will work better than commercial vaccines and reduce losses caused by the disease.

Gene-editing work by others has resulted in piglets being born that cannot be infected by TGE or PRRS. Those were two separate research projects, but each involved a gene that produces an enzyme that’s necessary for the virus to enter a cell.

Other gene-editing projects aim to eliminate the ability of cattle to grow horns and pigs to reach sexual maturity and produce a substance that gives off an offensive odour when pork from boars is cooked.

Aphria spurns $2.8 billion purchase offer

Aphria Inc. of Leamington says a $2.8-billion offer from Green Growth Brands Ltd. of the United States is not enough for its cannabis business.

Green Growth announced an offer of 1.5714 of its shares for each Aphria share, representing a premium of 45.5 per cent over Aphria’s closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Dec. 24. The offer is based on a valuation of $7 per Green Growth share.

Aphria said on Friday Green Growth’s offer is “based on a hypothetical valuation of its own shares, with no relation to the current price.”

Green Growth chief executive officer Peter Horvath said merging the companies would be good for both.

“Together, we can unleash synergies between our teams, assets and geographies, forming a combined enterprise that will accelerate our collective growth strategies in Canada, the U. S. and overseas,” Horvath said.

                         

Swine fever virus found in feed

African swine fever virus has been detected in some protein powders used as livestock feed.

The powders include pork blood. In September China banned the use of pork remains in feeds to stop the spread of the disease which has now hit 92 herds.

The raw material for the contaminated protein products came from 12 slaughterhouses in Tianjin, Reuters reported.

The protein products were created by a subsidiary of Tianjin Baodi Agri & Tech Co Ltd., which has operations ranging from hog breeding and cooked meat production to biochemical production, Reuters reported.

The customs administration has issued an alert, valid for six months, to strengthen ASF virus testing in exports of such products and urged farms in Hong Kong and Macau to tighten their checks on animal feed imports.

Canadians have been advised to be on high alert and strict biosecurity to prevent the disease from entering Canada.

More swine fever in China

More outbreaks of African Swine Fever have hit the Chinese hog industry, bringing the total since August to 92.

And quarantine zones set up to prevent the spread of the highly-contagious and deadly disease have cut off some hog supplies for Hong Kong and Macau.

Eighteen of the 154 mainland hog farms that normally supply Hong Kong and Macau have stopped shipping.

There is no known cure for the disease and there is no vaccine to immunize herds.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

I hope this season finds you and your family in good shape.

This week I had the privilege of visiting the new offices in Waterloo for Mennonite Economic Development Associates,

And I was pleased to meet a number of farmers who support this outstanding organization that now works in 62 countries, teaching and coaching people trapped in poverty how they can launch businesses that lift them into a better economic situation and future.

Bardash Chaggar, the local Member of Parliament and House Leader for the Liberal government, came to the MEDA open house and announced $15 million for MEDA to work with women and children in Senegal.

Then the next morning I read that United States President Donald Trump is tightening the rules for those who need help to acquire enough food, commonly called the Food Stamp program.

What a contrast between governments! 

This year my wife and I went twice to the Southern United States to help local organizations document the needs of people whose homes have been wrecked by hurricanes.

In Victoria, Texas, high winds ripped off rooves.

In Central Florida, the winds also ripped off rooves, but in too many cases rains continue to flood the interiors of the most humble of dwellings, giving rise to moulds that endanger the health of parents and children. Some were taking their families to back-yard sheds to sleep on the ground to get them out of the mould. There is no alternative housing available in those communities.

Here in Kitchener, we met a family from Honduras. They fled after the husband was shot by hoodlums who demanded money.

He and his wife and young son are “existing” in a one-room bedroom provided by refugees from Nicaragua.

Here in Kitchener-Waterloo, it is also next to impossible to find affordable housing. I don’t know how this family is going to make out, but they are determined to make a new life in Canada.

One of my passions is volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Waterloo Region. Mostly I help a crew of “termites” that volunteers to remove kitchens for people renovating for new ones. We do it for free, saving the homeowners at least $1,000 and saving the cabinets for sale to someone who wants and needs them.

When they sell at the ReStore, the donors receive a charitable-donation tax receipt.

I also volunteer at the build site for a 45-unit townhouse complex. So far 28 have been built, another six are partially up and there are plans to begin another six-plex in the spring.

A number of families buying these homes were refugees from various troubled parts of the world. They need to contribute 500 volunteer hours to qualify, but are able to buy a home with no down-payment and a no-interest mortgage. They pay it off at the rate of 25 per cent of their annual household income.

Habitat for Humanity is not enough to come anywhere close to meeting the needs in our community, but it is something.

I hope you and your family find opportunities this coming year to help less fortunate people.

May God bless you to be a blessing!

Unilever buying vegetarian company

Unilever is buying the Vegetarian Butcher of Utrecht, the Netherlands, for an undisclosed price.

Unilever said it is responding to consumer demand for more vegetarian and vegan meals. 

The Vegetarian Butcher said this is the another step towards its goal of becoming “the largest butcher in the world.”

The Vegetarian Butcher makes such items as vegetarian meatballs in various sauces, and NoChicken and NoBeef items such as nuggets and “chunks” for using in recipes. Its products are sold in more than 4,000 locations in 17 countries.

It employs about 90 workers who are expected to remain after the purchase before the end of this year.

Unilever is one of the largest food companies in the world, known for its high-road, long-term approach to business.     

Canadians sickened by U.S. turkey

A Minnesota-based poultry producer is recalling more than 164,000 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with salmonella.

The salmonella is the same strain that sickened Canadians beginning as early as April, 2017.

According to U.S. sources, one Canadian has died and the Public Health Agency of Canada has identified 22 Canadians who have been sickened after eating the turkey. They are from four provinces. Half of them were sickened in November.

Yet there is no recall posted on the website for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, nor have there been any Canadian news stories.

The Jennie-O Turkey Store products have markings saying to use or freeze by Nov. 12 or 13. 

The recall includes plain ground turkey and turkey with taco or Italian seasonings.

In the U.S., the products were shipped to Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

Food safety officials are worried that some contaminated turkey may be in people’s freezers. The recalled products have the tag P-579 marked on the lower left corner of the front of the package .

The U.S.D.A. says the recall was part of an investigation into a November salmonella outbreak that involved 216 patients in 38 states.

Too bad Canadians have to consult CNN to learn about the risks in the turkey we buy.

Saskatchewanite added to federal appeal tribunal

Patricia Farnese is an associate professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan where she teaches property, agriculture and wildlife law, has been appointed to the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal.

The tribunal reviews appeals to decisions of the federal agriculture department and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Farnese holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Saskatchewan. She is a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan. 

She has previously served as Vice-Chair of the Practitioner’s Staff Appeals Tribunal for Saskatchewan where she adjudicated disputes between administrators of health authorities and their practitioner staff.

The tribunal will be in Kitchener Jan. 232 to hear an appeal by a local company, 2328782 Ontario Inc. (Golden Ontario Products Inc.) against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The company, based in Mount Forest, was established to export meats to China.

U.S. now has GMO labeling rules

It has taken two years, but the United States Department of Agriculture now has released its labeling requirements for genetically-modified foods.

Farmers and food processors greeted the announcement with relief that they finally have clear rules.

But consumer groups criticized the department for saying companies need to use the term “bioengineered” instead of “genetically engineered” or “GMO.”

“The USDA has betrayed the public trust by denying Americans the right to know how their food is produced,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director at the Center for Food Safety.

The rules also exclude some highly-processed ingredients such as sugar from beet and soyoil.

The rules will, of course, apply to Canadian products exported to the U.S., but not to products for the Canadian market where saner regulators and politicians have rejected GMO labeling regulations.

If there were a real difference with GMO crops, labeling might make some sense, but since there are no significant differences, it's just another nuisance cost.

                           

U.S. Farm Bill oks hemp

The United States Farm Bill which has just passed the Senate and House of Representatives opens the door for cannabis production, mainly for fibres, but also for also for cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD has been used for medicinal purposes, as a skin conditioner and in cosmetics, among a number of other uses.

The cannabis that has been legalized by the Farm Bill cannot have more than 0.3 per cent Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gives users a high.

Some Canadians think legalization in the U.S. is giving them a head start in developing markets there.

However, researchers at Purdue University in Indiana warn that no pesticide residues are allowed because none are registered for use to grow hemp.

If they find pests or disease damaging hemp crops, there are no pesticides that are considered safe or legal to protect them, caution the researchers.

Janna Beckerman, a biology professor at Purdue, said “it can take many years for manufacturers to prove the safety and efficacy of their pesticides, and many more to get all the federal approvals. In the meantime, our hands are tied.”

Oh, cry me a river! It's a weed.

Livestock outlook clouded by disease, trade issues

The outlook for global livestock markets is clouded by the tariff war between the United States and China and African Swine Fever in China, say three members of Agri-Food Economic Systems at Guelph.

“Events of this apparent magnitude, if they remain in place for long, can be highly disruptive to global supply chains,” said Douglas Hedley, Agri-Food Economic Systems Associate and co-author of the report. 

“The risk of shortages perceived by major importers cause them to seek out alternative suppliers, and many of the assumptions about how the trade works could be re-written”.

Ted Bilyea, another co-author of the report, said “the retaliation against the U.S. steel and aluminum duties on soybeans and pork could open new opportunities for competitors to the U.S. and it appears that these are being actively developed, but the landscape is complex, the situation is highly fluid, and will take time to develop- even with major changes in the fundamentals in place”. 

Al Mussell, the third co-author, said the gap in protein supply could open “a game-changing opportunity” for exports of of canola products, soybeans, pork, and beef,  “but it is also fraught with risk, and if 2018 proves to be a sentinel year requiring a change in assumptions as to how these markets and trade will work, we will need much more analysis to properly understand it”. 

Thanks for the report, guys, but isn't all that fairly obvious to even a casual observer?

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

I hope this season finds you and your family in good shape.

This week I had the privilege of visiting the new offices in Waterloo for Mennonite Economic Development Associates,

And I was pleased to meet a number of farmers who support this outstanding organization that now works in 62 countries, teaching and coaching people trapped in poverty how they can launch businesses that lift them into a better economic situation and future.

Bardash Chaggar, the local Member of Parliament and House Leader for the Liberal government, came to the MEDA open house and announced $15 million for MEDA to work with women and children in Senegal.

Then the next morning I read that United States President Donald Trump is tightening the rules for those who need help to acquire enough food, commonly called the Food Stamp program.

What a contrast between governments! 

This year my wife and I went twice to the Southern United States to help local organizations document the needs of people whose homes have been wrecked by hurricanes.

In Victoria, Texas, high winds ripped off rooves.

In Central Florida, the winds also ripped off rooves, but in too many cases rains continue to flood the interiors of the most humble of dwellings, giving rise to moulds that endanger the health of parents and children. Some were taking their families to back-yard sheds to sleep on the ground to get them out of the mould. There is no alternative housing available in those communities.

Here in Kitchener, we met a family from Honduras. They fled after the husband was shot by hoodlums who demanded money.

He and his wife and young son are “existing” in a one-room bedroom provided by refugees from Nicaragua.

Here in Kitchener-Waterloo, it is also next to impossible to find affordable housing. I don’t know how this family is going to make out, but they are determined to make a new life in Canada.

One of my passions is volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Waterloo Region. Mostly I help a crew of “termites” that volunteers to remove kitchens for people renovating for new ones. We do it for free, saving the homeowners at least $1,000 and saving the cabinets for sale to someone who wants and needs them.

When they sell at the ReStore, the donors receive a charitable-donation tax receipt.

I also volunteer at the build site for a 45-unit townhouse complex. So far 28 have been built, another six are partially up and there are plans to begin another six-plex in the spring.

A number of families buying these homes were refugees from various troubled parts of the world. They need to contribute 500 volunteer hours to qualify, but are able to buy a home with no down-payment and a no-interest mortgage. They pay it off at the rate of 25 per cent of their annual household income.

Habitat for Humanity is not enough to come anywhere close to meeting the needs in our community, but it is something.

I hope you and your family find opportunities this coming year to help less fortunate people.

May God bless you to be a blessing!

Hardeman appoints new advisory committee

Ontario Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman is creating a new advisory committee to provide “new perspectives on future growth”.

Randy Pettapiece, his parliamentary assistant and member of the legislature for Wellington-Perth, will chair the committee.

Hardeman has picked three vice-chairmen: Keith Currie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture; Norm Beal, chief executive officer for Food and Beverage Ontario, and Dave Buttenham, chief executive officer for the Ontario Agri-Business Association.

The Committee will start meeting early in the new year, and will meet regularly to discuss issues that impact the industry, Hardeman said.

This looks like a strategy to bring potential critics inside the tent where their opinions can be kept out of the public eye.

$140-million organic fraud

A farmer in Missouri has been charged with $140 million worth of organic-market fraud in connection with grains that were sold across the United States.

Court documents filed in Ottawa say it is one of the largest frauds uncovered in the fast-growing organic farming industry. 

The victims included food companies and their customers who paid higher prices because they thought they were buying grains that had been grown using environmentally sustainable practices.

The prosecution says the fraud was led by Randy Constant of Chillicothe, Missouri, who was charged with one count of wire fraud. 

He is expected to plead guilty during a hearing that is scheduled at the federal The federal government wants him to pay $128 million and seized 70 pieces of farm equipment.

It's enough to lead one to lose faith in the holier-than-thou organic growers.

Antibiotic sales plunge

Sales of antibiotics for farm use plunged by 33 per cent from 2016 to 2017, reports the United States Food and Drug Administration.

The decline came after the U.S. banned farm use of medically-important antibiotics as growth promotants.

The 2017 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals also reported a decline of 41 percent in the domestic sales and distribution of antibiotics for use in animals since 2015. 

The latest figures are 28 percent below the data for 2009, when the first sales/distribution report was issued.

The results indicate that efforts to support antimicrobial stewardship are having what FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called “a significant impact” on limiting antimicrobial-resistant infections among humans.

Two more swine fever cases in China

There have been two more, but small, cases of African Swine Fever in China, bringing the total to 80.

The new outbreaks are at a small pig farm with 23 pigs in Chongqing's Bishan district, and 11 pigs at a slaughterhouse in Guangdong, the first case in that province.

The government has implemented strict bans on hog transport, quarantine zones and mandatory reporting, yet the disease continues to spread.

China is the world’s largest hog producer and is a significant pork importer, especially from Brazil and the United States.

But there is now a 25 per cent tariff on pork imports from the U.S. and that has depressed hog prices across North America.

Waterloo Federation opposes Bill 66

Waterloo Federation of Agriculture is lobbying local municipalities to oppose Bill 66 because it would water down protection of farm land from developers.

President Mark Reusser, who is also first vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said “the agriculture sector contributes over half a billion dollars to our local economy every year.

“If developers can bypass agricultural protections, as Bill 66 would allow, it threatens our economy and our food supply.”

Waterloo Region was one of the first in the province to implement key farmer and farm land protections, such as firm borders for the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo and a ban on lot severances for housing.

The Waterloo Federation of Agriculture was joined by two organizations: Smart Growth Waterloo Region and Hold the Line.

Bill 66 is also drawing criticism for watering down the Clean Water Act, The Great Lakes Protection Act, the Lake Simcoe Protection Act and the Greenbelt Act.

The proposed law would give municipalities the right to pass an “open for business” bylaw which would exempt them from the list of laws protecting farmland and water.

In its defence, the Ford government says municipalities would still require approval from the minister of municipal affairs and housing and approvals could carry conditions.

Spotting pig diseases early is helpful

Daniel Linhares, assistant professor at Iowa State University, said there are three things hog farmers can do to catch disease outbreaks early:

1.  On a weekly or monthly basis, collect biological samples, submit to the laboratory and screen for specific pathogens of concern.

2.  Monitor production records every few days. Check the number of abortions, number of dead pigs, number of mummies or stillbirth and the number of sows off feed. Whenever the system detects a significant change in production records compared to the baseline, send more biological samples for testing. It's also important at this stage to contact the veterinarian and discuss which samples are needed and the possible diseases to investigate.

3.  Evaluation of clinical signs. On-farm staff must be trained and aware of what to look for. Clinical signs should be monitored on an hourly basis by the staff who work with the herd every day. Ensure they understand what's normal behaviour and the need to call their supervisor or veterinarian whenever they see something that's not normal. For example, increased coughing, a change in cough pattern, the type of cough or diarrhoea. Behaviour changes might include if pigs are not up, active and eating or drinking regularly.

"Those three things combined are really powerful," he said. "Screening of clinical signs is critical and is usually the first sign of the onset of diseases.”

Richardson buying Wesson

Chicago-based Conagra Brands said Tuesday it will sell its Wesson oil brand and related assets — including a 280,000-square foot U.S. processing plant at Memphis — to Richardson international of Winnipeg.

No terms of the deal have been released.

Wesson-branded retail cooking oils, available in the U.S. for more than 100 years, include canola, corn oil and soy oil and a blend of all three called Best Blend.

Conagra bought it in 1990 from Beatrice Co. as part of a larger deal.

Richardson sells the Canola Harvest oil and Crystal and Mirage margarine brands.

It has a packaging plant at Oakville and canola crushing plants at Lethbridge, Alta. and Yorkton, Sask.

It is a major grain-handling company which has a terminal in Hamilton Harbour.

New initiatives for “healthy soils”

The Ontario Soil Network (OSN) is seeking farmers from across Ontario to participate in a program to improve agricultural soil. 

There was a pilot project last year and now the Rural Ontario Institute will run the province-wide program.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is putting in $202,000 and has support from several agricultural organizations.

Both federal and Ontario agriculture ministers praised the program’s objectives. 

The Ontario Soil Network is designed for farmers who are innovating, using cover crops, reducing tillage, or using amendments and cattle to improve soil. 

The OSN connects these innovators in small groups to learn from each other. 

Participants are also challenged and supported to be better leaders and communicators about agriculture and soil health. 

The 2019 leadership challenge, open to 40 farmers, will begin with a workshop on January 17-18, 2019, in Kingston, but you have to register by Thursday. 

So why is the deadline so tight? Have they already picked participants and really don't want any more applications?

They say applications can be submitted online at www.ontariosoil.net before December 20. Good luck!

Veal leaders seek pain-reliever approval

Veal Farmers of Ontario is seeking approval to use Metacam, a Boehringer Ingelheim pain reliever which curerently is not allowed for veal calves.

The veal association has received funding for a University of Guelph research project to determine the safety of using Metacam in grain-fed veal production.

Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is approved for use as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic (pain relief) in cattle.

Although it is not a label-approved product, it can be prescribed by veterinarians for off-label use for veal calves.

You have to wonder why taxpayers and the Veal Farmers of Ontario have to get involved in a project to help Boehringer Ingelheim sell its product.