Silk plant had history of failures

 

The Joriki Inc. plant in Pickering that processed Silk milk substitutes for Danone had a history of infractions, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency wrote in a report on its investigations after three consumers died and 20 were sickened by Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.

The agency did not say why the plant, which remains closed, was not suspended or fined for repeat food safety failures.

Its report said six times inspectors found that Joriki did not properly implement environmental swabbing and finished product testing in adherence to Health Canada's policy on listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. 

Now a significant cleanup and renovation operation is being conducted, the report said.

"Manufacturing will not resume until all necessary safety measures are in place, and until we are confident that the risk of contamination has been eliminated," the CFIA said. 

"Inspectors are closely monitoring the situation, continuing to conduct regular visits to ensure that corrective actions are completed before production can restart."

The Silk products were made from almonds, coconuts and oats.

Bird flu infects a pig

 

H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in pig in the United States, the first ever that has been confirmed by the United States Department’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ohe  backyard farm. 

The pig was not on a hog farm, but in a back yard in a Crook County site housing a mix of livestock and poultry, where the virus was initially found in poultry on Oct. 25. 

Despite showing no symptoms, the affected pig was among five on the farm tested due to the presence of H5N1 in other animals. Two swine tested negative, and results are pending for two others. All swine were euthanized to facilitate further diagnostic work.

The site has been quarantined to prevent further transmission, with additional surveillance ongoing for sheep, goats, and other animals. The USDA said genetic sequencing so far suggests no increased risk to humans.

Federal and state officials continue to monitor the situation, stressing biosecurity measures to curb the spread. 

Meat company winners announced

 

Meat and Poultry Ontario has announced the winners of its annual meat competition.

They are:

• Bacon - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Ruby Red Bacon’ 
• Kielbasa - L'Orignal Packing Ltd ‘Kielbasa’
• Smoked Sausage Traditional - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Kranska’
• Smoked Sausage Specialty - Finest Sausage and Meat Ltd. ‘Jalapeno Cheddar’
• Deli Roasts - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Smoked Montreal’
• Premium Wiener - Schinkel's Legacy ‘Cheese Dog’
• Salumi / Charcuterie - Sikorski Sausages Co. Ltd, ‘Fennel Dry Cured Salami’ 
• Premium Dried or Dry Cured - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Dried Capicola (Necken)
• Fresh Sausage - Other  - L'Original Packing Ltd ‘The Mysterious Sausage’
• Fresh Sausages - Pork  - Elora Road Meats ‘Honey Garlic Sausage’
• Sausage - Dry/Semi-dry large - Halenda's Fine Foods ‘Kulan’
• Sausage  - Dry/Semi-dry small - Sikorski Sausages Co. Ltd. ‘MeatSticks Mild

Imports dominate renewable diesel

 

Imports from the United States are dominating the Canadian market for renewable diesel fuel, reports Pro Farmer.

“Canada has lagged the U.S. in setting up domestic renewable diesel production,” it said.

The Canadian plants that are operating are being squeezed by the imports and a British Columbia reduction in low-carbon tax credits.

British Columbia’s LCFS credits fell to $207 in July after trading at more than $400 for two years.

U.S. producers shipped at least 530 million liters of renewable diesel to Canada in the first six months of 2024, up from 151 million liters during the same period last year, according to data compiled by Will Faulkner, founder of industry analysis firm Carbon Acumen.

British Columbia is the only province with an LCFS credit market, which helped encourage Calgary-based Tidewater Renewables to open the country’s first standalone renewable diesel refinery last year. 

Others are also betting on the credits to support construction of more facilities in British Columbia and other provinces. At the same time, the LCFS has made Canada an attractive outlet for a glut of U.S. renewable diesel, Pro Farmer said.

Eric Shelley heads Ontario Organic Council

Dr. Eric Shelley has been chosen executive director of the Ontario Organic Council, taking over from Carolyn Young who held the position for nine years.

Dr. Shelley has been chief executive officer for Best for Bees.

“Her pioneering work in bee vectoring and biological controls has focused on improving bee and crop health, establishing her as a recognized leader in sustainable beekeeping and organic farming,” the council said.

“Through her close work with farmers across Ontario on pollinator consultation projects, Dr. Shelley has gained a deep understanding of the complexities of agriculture, enabling her to effectively address the challenges and opportunities in the organic sector.”

The council praised Young who “has shepherded OCO through a critical growth period,  strengthened our community, and fostered partnerships that have significantly advanced the organic sector in Ontario. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”

Strikers picket Maple Leaf Foods

 

The United Food and Commercial Union members at the Maple Leaf Foods facility at Courtney Park in Mississauga are on strike.

The 187 union members said Maple Leaf should be ashamed of the offer it put on the table.

They said most of the workers at the plant make less than $25 an hour which Is considered a “living wage” in that community.

Kelly Tosato, president of the union local, said “Maple Leaf Foods is a company that brands itself as a proud Canadian company that is committed to the health of its employees. Its sales came in at $4.8 billion last year. The company should be ashamed at the offer it brought to these workers.”

The plant makes stuffed, battered, and breaded chicken and pork products 

Ontario seeks ticketing option for food safety violations

 

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness is seeking authority to issue tickets to businesses that are repeat offenders on food safety issues.

Education will remain the initial response.

Adding ticketing authority will provide another avenue to gain compliance. The final option remains prosecution in the courts.

“Tickets are stronger than education and warnings but less severe than suspensions or prosecutions,” says the ministry in a posting on the province’s regulations registry.

It also said “expanding the ability to issue tickets for recurring offenses would reduce the burden on municipalities by decreasing the demand for court services. 

“The ability to issue a ticket can also reduce the costs for the regulated party that committed the offense because the potential penalties from a Part III Summons (going to court) are generally higher.

“Education and awareness will remain key compliance tools when working with the industry, and tickets will be an additional option when stronger progressive compliance action is required.”

South Bruce voters narrowly support nuclear dump

 

Voters in South Bruce voted 51.2 per cent in favour of a proposal to host a place to store spent nuclear reactor fuel.

A total of 3,130 residents registered their votes on the $26-million project near Teeswater.

Council will meet Nov. 12 to decide what comes next.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has identified another potential disposal site in the Township of Igance about 245 km northwest of Thunder Bay.

Indigenous people will have a say on either of the two sites and so far have not taken a public stance.

Lou Ferrusi judged champion butcher

 

Lou Ferrusi from the Fortino’s supermarket at Stoney Creek has won the championship to be declared Ontario’s Finest Butcher.

The annual competition is run by Meat & Poultry association.

Dylan Miedema from Townsends Butchers and Sully Hakimi from Halenda’s Meat were the runner-ups.

Meat & Poultry said Lou Ferrusi’s seasoned and skillful butchery skills, creative storytelling and excellence in presentation and time management that set him apart.

The products - boneless chuck roll, a whole chicken, and boneless pork loin -  for the finals were donated by Abate Packers, Ontario Beef, and Domingos with pantry items supplied by Malabar Ingredients.

Aviation fuel policy fell short

 

CoBank says the Sustainable Fuel Policy (SAF) in the United States has failed to entice the anticipated production of agriculture-based fuel.

So farmers and the industry are now waiting to see what will be on offer when the new program is unveiled in January.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, announced by the Biden administration in September 2021, set production goals of thee billion gallons of SAF by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050 to satisfy all of domestic airline fuel demand. 

According to the latest government dashboard of SAF projects, between 2.6 billion and 4.9 billion gallons of SAF may be produced annually by 2030.

Meeting the 36-billion goal depends on policy initiatives and market conditions that give biofuel producers the flexibility to expand production capacity of both renewable diesel and SAF, CoBank said.

The government is finalizing an updated Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies model, which could include improved accounting for climate-smart ag practices, it said.

According to Jacqui Fatka, farm supply and biofuels economist with CoBank, the delay is causing uncertainty for farmers, biofuel producers and other market participants.

“Biofuel producers are unlikely to move forward on any expansion plans until the new guidance is published,” said Fatka. 

“And the delay creates more uncertainty for farmers as they make decisions about planting, input purchases and conservation programs for 2025.” 

The first biofuels policy came into effect in 2005, giving rise to a huge volume of ethanol production from corn.

Canada followed suit. The requirement that gasoline include ethanol lifted corn prices into solid profit margins, but also drew complaints from livestock and poultry producers, especially pork producers.

CoBank said that unless there is substantial support for biofuels for aviation, production will only be attractive when corn prices are relatively low.

Maple Leaf escapes bread case

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has escaped from a class-action lawsuit over price-fixing bread and buns.

An Ontario Superior Court judge has dismissed an attempt to add it to the lawsuit against Canada Bread Co., Weston Bread and some supermarket chains.

Canada Bread was fined by the bureau in 2023 after admitting to four counts of price-fixing, but has argued as part of the class-action lawsuit that Maple Leaf, which was its majority owner at the time, should shoulder the blame instead.

Maple Leaf sold Canada Bread to Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo for $1.8-billion in February.

Maple Leaf was not named in the initial lawsuit.

This lawsuit is one of two launched in the wake of a continuing Competition Bureau investigation into an alleged industry-wide conspiracy to fix the price of bread.

Onions fingered for McDonald’s food poisonings

Yellow onions from Taylor Farms in California have been identified as the likely cause of food poisonings of McDonald’s customers in the Western United States.

So far 49 people have been identified as victims of E. coli food poisoning after eating McDonald’s hamburgers. One person has died.

Other fast-food chains, including Burger King, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken, have stopped using fresh onions.

There have been no problems identified at Canadian McDonald;’s or other fast food chains.

BinMaster has more products

BinMaster which pioneered a system that measurers feed levels in farm feed bins has added new products to its lineup.

One adds video which will probably be of most interest to feed-milling companies and grain-storage companies.

Another measures liquids and comes with the purchase of ToughSonic of Vermont. It uses ultrasonics.

ToughSonic sensors are useful for measuring liquid content in tanks and are used to monitoring irrigation, flooding, tsunamis,and sea levels. 

ToughSonic sensors are used by industry to detect the presence of objects or distance ranging for conveyor load profiling. They have been widely used in academia and universities worldwide for research and by municipal utilities worldwide for water and sewer monitoring.

“BinMaster customers will benefit from having all of their liquid and solids inventory visible with one login to BinCloud software,” explained Scott Hudson executive vice president of BinMaster. 

He developed and launched BinMaster in Kitchener and now has clients around the world, including global grain-trading companies.

He said ToughSonic’s “compact sensors will integrate seamlessly into our real-time inventory and level monitoring systems.”

Seventeen more waffle products recalled

 

Treehouse Foods of Brantford has added 17 more products to its recall as a result of its own investigations discovering Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.

The original recall involved store brand waffles marketed by Canada’s biggest supermarket chains.

This recall includes four types of waffles sold by Sobeys stores under the Our Compliments brand, seven waffles or pancakes by Loblaws stores under Presidents Choice and no name brands, five under Nature’s Path, one by Life Smart, one by Walmart’s Great Value brand and two under Metro’s Signature brand.

Three are waffles sold under the Duncan Hines brand and two are pancakes sold by Gordon Foods, a food-service supply company.

There have been no reported illnesses linked to the products.

Don Jose donates $100,000 to 4-H

Don Jose has donated $100,000 to the South Simcoe 4-H Association in honour of his wife who he met at a 4-H event in Beeton.

He is a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska.

He has made the donation to the Doreen McKay Jose Memorial Fund which will provide the South Simcoe 4-H Association with approximately $3,500 annually to support its program activities

Three Oaks chosen by contest winner

 

Three Oaks respite house is getting $2,500 from Ian Grant of Wallaceburg who won the Hometown Roots Family Contest from Maizex Seeds and Lallemand Plant Care.

He is donating another $2,500 to Faith Baptist Church in Wallaceburg.

The contest winner gets to choose where to donate $5,000.

Three Oaks Cabin was built by the Bergsma family in memory of their son Dalles, a farmer and member of the Dawn Euphemia Fire Department, who died by suicide in 2020.

The quiet cabin in the woods focuses on supporting locals in the agricultural and first responder communities who are struggling with their mental health.

Butter-finger thieves in Guelph

 Two thieves walked off from a Guelph grocery store with about $900 worth of butter on Oct. 12, then 10 days later two thieves took $950 worth of butter from another store.

They apparently put cartons of butter in grocery carts and then walked out the back door.

Police say there have been at least seven large butter thefts in Guelph in the past 10 months.

They say it’s not known if all the incidents are related.

        

McDonald’s clients food poisoned

 

McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are the likely cause of an E. coli outbreak that has infected 49 people from 10 states and killed one, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC issued a food safety alert after everyone interviewed reported eating at McDonald’s before their illness started, and most specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger.

Investigators are focusing on fresh slivered onions and beef patties as potential sources.

Colorado has 27 cases and Nebraska nine.

Ten people have been hospitalized, and one person in Colorado has died. 

A child is also hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Voortman’s sold – again

Voortman Cookies has been bought by Nature Brands of Orville, Ohio.

Nature Brands is owned by CapVest Partners LLP of Britain.

Voortman was started by Harry Voortman who sold it to Swander Place Capital in 2015.

Then it was acquired by Hostess which was, in turn, bought by J.M> Smucker Co.

The company, based in Burlington, makes Dutch-style cookies which are sold all over North America.

As with Dare Biscuis of Kitchener, the company was able to make inroads in the United States by using lower-cost sugar from Cuba that American companies were forbidden to buy.

Kiwis escalate milk spat with Canada

 

New Zealand has escalated its ongoing trade dispute with Canada concerning dairy product access.

Todd McClay, New Zealand’s Trade and Agriculture Minister, said Wellington has triggered “mandatory negotiations” under the rules set out by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

New Zealand and Canada are members of the CPTPP, a trade agreement involving 11 countries. Under the CPTPP’s dispute settlement process, negotiations must begin within 15 days following the notification.

In May 2022, New Zealand filed a complaint against Canada, arguing Ottawa’s implementation of dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs) under their trade agreement violated the pact’s rules.

In September last year, a CPTPP panel said Canada’s administration of dairy quotas was inconsistent with its obligations under the CPTPP. 

As a result, New Zealand exporters were unable to fully utilise Canada’s 16 dairy tariff-rate quotas as priority access is given to domestic dairy processors.

“As a matter of principle, the New Zealand government expects our trade partners to treat our exporters fairly and within the rules of our agreements. 

“Canada is not doing that in respect to the dairy quotas that were negotiated and agreed with New Zealand,” said McClay

Commenting on the development, two ministers in Canada put out a joint statement.

Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay said: “Canada is very disappointed that New Zealand has decided to continue to challenge Canada’s dairy TRQ system. 

“We have been through this before and have consistently and successfully defended our dairy sector and supply management.”

They were apparently referring to a similar dispute with the United States.

 

                  

Avian flu hits more workers and farms

 

Highly-pathogenic avian influenza has sickened four poultry-farm workers in Washington State and broken out in five poultry farms in British Columbia.

The commercial poultry farms were three located in Chilliwack and two in Abbotsford. 

The flocks will be destroyed and quarantine zones have been set up by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The Washington State workers are at an egg farm in Franklin County; the flock was euthanized after an outbreak Oct. 15.

Hypor and Danish Genetics to merge

 

Hendrix Genetics has signed an agreement to merge its swine division, Hypor, with Danish Genetics and its partners. 

Hendrix Genetics will hold a majority stake after the merger is completed next year.

Mads Kring, shareholder and co-founder of Danish Genetics said “this strategic combination will create one of the world’s most advanced breeding companies, helping producers worldwide by delivering high-quality genetics to improve efficiency and profitability.”

TreeHouse recalls waffles

 

TreeHouse Foods of Brantford is recalling multiple brands of frozen waffles after it detected Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria at the plant.

The recall includes Walmart's Great Value brand, Metro’s Selection brand, Sobeys Compliments brand, and Loblaws’ No Name brand. 

The full list can be found on the company's website. 

Consumers and retailers can identify the UPC on the back of the carton, and the lot code and best-by-date for these products on the end of the waffle carton.

Anyone who has the recalled waffles in their freezer are urged not to eat them, but to dispose of them or return them to the store where they were purchased.

There have been no reports of illness, but symptons can take up 70 days to show up. Listeria can be fatal to elderly people and those with compromised immune systems.

Supplement found to protect bees

 

Bees can be protected from pesticides with a food supplement, say scientists at a private university in Colombia.

They say the flavonoid-based food supplement keeps the insects safe from neurological damage.

The research is still underway at Rosario University in Bogota in partnership with the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona and Colombian Universidad Javeriana.

"This is a nutritional solution to the problem bees face when exposed to pesticides," said Andre Riveros, associate professor at Rosario University. 

"The food induces them to develop a protection (against pesticides)".

The formula is created with flavonoids, plant-derived secondary metabolites known for their health benefits.

Sedated and then confined to small laboratory tubes, bees were fed one-by-one by scientists during initial development of the supplement.

Testing has now moved to real-world scenarios in a university apiary, said Juan Jose Ovalle, a natural science student at the university.

"We already know that there are molecules that improve the bees' health, we already know that there are molecules that prevent neuronal damage caused by pesticides", Ovalle said, adding it was important to continue the work to boost the effectiveness of these methods in supporting bees.

Tree fruit growers share subsidy

 

Reporters usually get a news release when there is a new subsidy program available for farmers.

Now we get them when the money is spent. Must be an election coming, and civil servants are being used to do work that probably should be done by political party staff.

            ++++++++

One hundred and twenty-eight farmers who grow apples, tender fruit and table grapes are sharing $4.4 million from the federal and Ontario governments.

The funding is to plant varieties more in tune with consumer preferences, such as Gala and Honey Crisp apples and  Coral Star and Summer Serenade peaches.

“In its first year the Growing Future Opportunities Initiative is already helping Ontario fruit producers to be more competitive, so they can provide and market more popular products for consumers to enjoy,” said Ontario Agriculture Minisger Rob Flack.

Chapman’s wins international ice cream competition

Chapman’s Salty Caramel Crunch ice cream came first at the International Ice Cream Consortium (IICC) conference at Florence, Italy.

It beat competitors from 13 countries who submitted their entries for caramel ice creams.

“I am extremely proud that our peers from around the world voted for our ice cream to be the best of the best. It was not an easy competition with so many outstanding ice cream products participating,” said Ashley Chapman, the chief pperating officer for the family-owned business at Markham.

Salty Caramel Crunch is Chapman’s best-selling product in a luxury Super Premium Plus line. It is a blend of salty caramel ice cream with a ripple of salty caramel sauce, butter toffee pieces and caramel cookie bits. 

Chapman’s also won second in the Best Ice Cream category for the Cherry Cheesecake luxury ice cream and third in the Most Innovative Ice Cream category for their famed Cold Brew Coffee flavour.

At one time Chapman’s struggled to grow because the Ontario Milk Marketing Board rationed milk supplies to processors.

California dairy cows dying of bird fl

 

Hundreds of dairy cows are dying of highly-pathogenic avian influenza, reversing early observations that is mild in cattle, although deadly to poultry flocks.

In the state’s Central Valley, extreme heat has exacerbated health issues in cows suffering from the virus, which causes fever, slowed milk production and other symptoms, said Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer of  CEO of Western United Dairies, which represents almost 90 per cent of the state’s dairy farms.

Farms that might normally lose one or two cows per month have had hundreds die, Raudabaugh said.

Farmers contract with rendering companies to pick up dead cows, buy they’re having trouble keeping up, so some are rotting in the sun, he said.

Temperatures in the southern Central Valley, home to many dairies, have exceeded 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) six times so far in October, according to the National Weather Service.

Baker Commodities, a California rendering company, has seen an increase in dead dairy cows due to the heat and bird flu, said spokesperson Jimmy Andreoli II.

Joey Airoso, a Tulare County dairy farmer, said he is surrounded by dairies that have been hit with bird flu infections.

“The way its been traveling around here, I feel like almost everybody will probably get it,” he said.

The dead cows are a threat to spread the flu, particularly via carrion-eating birds such as vultures.

Some temps get mental health assistance

 

Some temporary foreign workers will gain access to mental health support because the federal and Ontario governments are giving nearly $1.8 million to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

It will provide funding first to its chapter in Windsor-Essex and then expand to Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk.

The program will provide referrals to free local services,

including recreational activities, primary care, counselling, support groups, in-person workshops, etc.

The services will be provided in Spanish, Tagalog, French and English.

Wasted milk critiqued

“Systemic inefficiencies” in Canada’s supply management system have led to billions of litres of milk going to waste since 2012, according to a new study published in the journal Ecological Economics.

It put the total at between 6.8 billion and 10 billion litres, about seven per cent of total production.

The study was one by researchers based in Denmark, Michigan and Halifax’s Dalhousie University. 

They put the value at $14.9 billion and said the milk could have fed 4.2 million Canadians, or about 11 per cent of the population.

The surplus milk contributed to “significant” land and water resource waste, and about 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Dairy Farmers of Canada questioned the accuracy of the findings.

“The authors of the study acknowledge that much of their conclusions are drawn from ‘estimates’ rather than a robust data set,” said chief executive officer Jacques Lefebvre.

The study’s research team said the supply management managers should charge penalties for over production and increase transparency about milk production, including reports on surplus production and waste.

They said dairy quotas should better fit with market demand and consumer preferences.

Lefebvre said “milk disposal is not a unique issue to Canda, Milk is disposed only as a last resort after exploring all other alternatives. This is done in accordance with regulations and the costs are borne by the dairy farmers,” he wrote in an e-mail to CTV news.

American shoppers shift to cheaper chicken

Pricing is resulting in more chicken sales, reports CoBank in its review of the U.S. meat industry which it said remains strong.

Chicken consumption is on pace to rise 1.5 pounds this year.

In pork, hog production margins are improving on lower feed costs, with CoBank citing Iowa State University’s projection that farrow-to-finish operators posted their fifth consecutive month of positive margins in August.

However, CoBank said expansion in production is unlikely as all costs but feed are still high. As a result, pork prices should hold steady through the rest of the year, it said.

Global pork demand is so strong that the U.S. will likely overtake Europe as the leader in pork exports this year, CoBank predicted.

Rising beef prices didn’t slow demand in the grilling season and retail prices continued to climb through August, exceeding $8.60 ($11.83 Cdn) per pound.

There were ample retail hamburger promotions, the report said.

The composition of beef coming to market in 2024 has been derived more from fed cattle, with more steers entering the feedlot than last year. 

Falling feed prices, a changing mix of cattle and tighter availability is contributing to higher cattle weights, CoBank said.

 

Matt McIntosh wins top international award

 

Matt McIntosh, a farmer and writer from Southwestern Ontario has won Agricultural Journalist of the Year from the International 

Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

His winning article about how greenhouses pollute Lake Erie water was published in the Narwhal magazine.

McIntosh writes for a number of different agriculture publications and has a website as the Rural Philosopher.

Huffman elected treasurer of NAMI

Randy Huffman of Maple Leaf Foods has been elected treasurer of the North American Meat Institute.

He is chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer for Maple Leaf Foods.

The institute’s members are all of the major meat packers in Canada and the United States.

James Snee of Hormel Foods was elected president and Peter Bozzo of Michael’s Finer Meats and Seafood vice-chairman.

Alberta plant cuts milk transport costs

 

Dairy Innovation West plans to open a $75-million plant by spring that will remove water from milk and thereby cut milk transportation costs in half.

The plant will use reverse osmosis and ultra-high filtration to process milk. The water-reduced milk will then be sent to industrial milk processing plants to make cheese, butter and yogourt.

The province’s milk-hauling fleet will be cut in half and farmers will save about $15 per year on transportation costs.

Danish Crown cutting staff

Danish Crown, one of the major competitors for Canadian pork packers in export markets, is cutting costs by laying off about 500 staff.

"Danish Crown is in the midst of a crisis and we are facing radical changes. Our costs are simply too high in relation to our earnings," said chief executive officer Niels Duedahl.

"We are now adapting our organization and focusing 100 per cent on our core business to ensure a better payment to the farmers who own Danish Crown," he said.

In April it announced it will close one of its major slaughterhouses and lay off nearly 1,200 employees by mid-September.

Danish crown said at the time that the number of pigs sent for slaughter has dropped significantly since 2021, making it necessary to streamline production in order to pay Danish farmers a competitive price for their pigs.

Cash croppers in a squeeze

 

Cash cropper margins could be the worst in 20 years, according to a writer for the AgWeb news site.

“The margins that farmers are facing on average are really a tough place to be in for 2022 to 2024,” said Krista Swanson, lead economist for the National Corn Growers Association. 

“According to  USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), the cost to produce corn dropped five per cent, but the price was down by 37 per cent.

“And when we look at those average numbers from the USD, looking at cost of production for corn prices and yield, that comes out to average losses of $125 per acre.”

USDA’s revised Net Farm Income projections, released in early September, show net cash farm income for the 2024 calendar year will fall by $12 billion, which is down about seven per cent from 2023, and net farm income will fall by $6.5 billion or 4.4 per cent. 

This is compared to projections released in February which suggested net farm income would fall by 26 per cent.

Beef prices and margins are much higher, but not enough to offset the grim news for cash cropping.

Tractor and combine sales tumble

Tractor sales in Canada were down by 24 per cent in September from a year ago and combine sales by 52 per cent.

In the United States, tractor sales were down by 19 per cent and combine sales by 51 per cent, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

AGCO announced layoffs at its facility at Hesston, Kansas.

Beef and egg prices still rising

 Food prices continued to rise faster than the overall Consumer Price Index in September, led by beef, up by 9.2 per cent, eggs up by five per cent and fats and oils up by 7.8 per cent.

The food price index rose by 2.2 per cent while the Consumer Price Index came in at 1.6 per cent, the lowest increase since 2021.

The food price index has risen by 21.7 per cent in three years.

Gasoline prices were down by 10.7 per cent from a year ago.

                          

 Question: How does supply management for eggs lead to price increases greater than CPI?