tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43116133858886023842024-03-18T09:37:16.534-04:00Agri 007"It's my role to report. It's your role to press for reforms"Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comBlogger8665125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-74590567906409000302024-03-18T09:36:00.005-04:002024-03-18T09:36:37.559-04:00COOL a hot topic again<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">As expected, the Canadian Pork Council has released a statement opposing new labeling regulations in the United States that allow “Product of USA” claims on meats. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">It said it’s disappointed the government did not take into account comments from the pork industries on both sides of the border.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We are pleased the Government of Canada has already indicated it will be looking at options to correct the protectionist nature of these proposed regulations, and we ask the federal government to be vigilant to protect our market access,” said council chairman René Roy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Canadian Cattle Association took a similar stand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">But t</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">he decision has support from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), whose president, Marc Perrone, lambasted the practice of repackaging meat that originated outside the U.S. as American, as ‘trickery’ and ‘cheating.’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Now, consumers can shop with confidence, knowing that when they buy products with the USA label, their money will actually go toward supporting America’s ranchers and meatpacking and processing workers,” Perrone said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The union echoed U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack who said when the announced the new regulations last week that “this final rule will ensure that when consumers see ‘Product of USA’ they can trust the authenticity of that label and know that every step involved, from birth to processing, was done here in America.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">He said in a statement that accurate labeling equips smaller producers with a compelling and truthful messaging that helps them compete more effectively.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">That could be interpreted as an admission that the regulations hinder trade and are protectionist.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-30271459205298591612024-03-15T10:48:00.002-04:002024-03-15T10:48:34.135-04:00Another Enoki mushroom recall<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">There is another recall of Enoki mushrooms underway.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">This time it is K-Fresh Enoki Mushrooms that made a customer ill with Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The 200-gram packages were distributed in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXM7hdseymN-KRe0Ir-glcSo981xhFtYLqSd2eYJ4XD_IJcii_cF1BXL6eguKsSBABQl5q8RLtc9dZLi_0vYA8XaVtXdQofqvFERnOH8zWvWeMfVh2RzMaffUNuyeWFRbOd9zDe8dXdwEM6xH92fxBZCSgwz6DIxA38KdxLe3kJ81e5kw4DrcTejxm93s/s1366/1366.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="1366" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXM7hdseymN-KRe0Ir-glcSo981xhFtYLqSd2eYJ4XD_IJcii_cF1BXL6eguKsSBABQl5q8RLtc9dZLi_0vYA8XaVtXdQofqvFERnOH8zWvWeMfVh2RzMaffUNuyeWFRbOd9zDe8dXdwEM6xH92fxBZCSgwz6DIxA38KdxLe3kJ81e5kw4DrcTejxm93s/s320/1366.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-86531120503502623692024-03-13T18:26:00.009-04:002024-03-13T18:26:50.901-04:00Grand River doubles innovation funds<p style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grand River Agriculture Society is doubling its offer to $100,000 for innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The society is offering up to $10,000 to enable young Ontario companies in ag-tech, green-tech, and agri-food to seize market opportunities and secure sales of their products or services.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 1rem; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the last two years, the initiative provided funding for 10 Ontario companies to respond rapidly to global market opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 1rem; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Rapid Response for Business Development provided $50,000 last year which led to $3.5 million in new sales, which is an outstanding ROI,” said Deborah Whale, vice-president and chair of the outreach committee. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We are committed to continuing this support of Ontario entrepreneurs so they can showcase their products, sell them worldwide and continue to thrive right here in Canada!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The money enables investors to move quickly to take advantage of market opportunities and secure sales. It can be used to pay for eligible travel and associated costs required to “close the deal” with established business connections.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 1rem; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; widows: 2;"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">Working with CanLead Solutions, the next round of applications will open on April 1, 2024. The application criteria can be found at: <a href="https://grandriveragsociety.com/philanthropy/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; transition: color 0.3s;"><span style="color: #01768a;">https://grandriveragsociety.com/philanthropy/</span></a> </span></span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-4403162622452737092024-03-13T16:33:00.002-04:002024-03-13T16:33:18.129-04:00Semen sales decline in U.S.<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Semen sales for cattle declined by four per cent last year in the United States, failing to rebound from declines during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">That four per cent amounts to 2.9 million units of semen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Export values reached a record $306 million because prices increased.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sales of dairy semen declined by five per cent, or 2.6 million doses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Angus semen was the most popular for beef, but the surprise is second-place sales of heterosperic semen (a blend of semen from two or more bulls) – 1.3 million in the U.S. and 300,000 for export.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-48123260301920496472024-03-13T09:50:00.005-04:002024-03-13T09:57:38.435-04:00Land prices up by 10.7 per cent<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16pt;">The average price paid for farmland in Ontario increased by 10.7 per cent last year. The previous year the increase was 19.4 per cent.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Across Canada, the increase was 11.5 per cent. Only British Columbia registered a decrease – 3.1 per cent – but its farmland prices remained the highest in Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Demand for Ontario land came from a variety of sources, said the report from Farm Credit Canada, including large intensive, supply-managed farm operations, cash crop producers, part-time farmers and investors.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: repeat white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 7.5pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cecece; font-size: 7.5pt;">ADVERTI<o:p></o:p></span></p><br />Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-68236106095945846322024-03-12T09:28:00.001-04:002024-03-12T09:28:15.334-04:00Dr. Shane Renwick wins award<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Dr. Shane Renwick of the Canadian Veterinary Medicine association at Gelph has won the Medicine Stewardship award from the World Veterinary Association.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">The award will be presented at the annual congress April 17 in Cape Town, South Africa.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">He won for leading the development of the Stewardship of Antimicrobials by Veterinarians Initiative (<a href="http://savi.canadianveterinarians.net/en/home/" style="color: #96607d; cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: black;">SAVI</span></a>) as well as a mobile app called <a href="https://savi.canadianveterinarians.net/en/firstline/" style="color: #96607d; cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: black;">Firstline</span></a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZcPrP51wtLNzSErO-0TwtmGE4ytwd_kVRP7Ph7f8GG2rlRVNNsOoHyPwThWOX51II8QqvHV617tcEsgUXO-yiWhPwSiGjg7cFt0sKI_UJPvn_Ma5kFuAfQFOBhcZsk4g4VmR9Efo5FC1qOIAEPG-iwHenXgxgb51MQZO6S5RcTNeqp6yGsFsmBXeFTj4/s192/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="192" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZcPrP51wtLNzSErO-0TwtmGE4ytwd_kVRP7Ph7f8GG2rlRVNNsOoHyPwThWOX51II8QqvHV617tcEsgUXO-yiWhPwSiGjg7cFt0sKI_UJPvn_Ma5kFuAfQFOBhcZsk4g4VmR9Efo5FC1qOIAEPG-iwHenXgxgb51MQZO6S5RcTNeqp6yGsFsmBXeFTj4/s1600/download.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br />These tools help veterinarians working with many species to select the most appropriate antibiotic, if indicated, as well as dosage and withdrawal times.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-84770620849056280242024-03-12T09:07:00.001-04:002024-03-12T09:07:05.117-04:00Feds give another $97 mllion to clean technology<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The federal government said it will fund another $97 million for farms and agri-businesses to adopt cleaner technologies such as more efficient grain dryers, solar power and precision agriculture technology.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">It adds to almost $170 million already spent on 414 projects.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Canadian farmers fully understand the need to take care of the environment and they are constantly innovating to find new solutions to reduce their emissions,” said federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">The new money is for 148 projects including 37 new grain dryers, 48 solar installations, and 31 purchases of “precision agriculture technology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">A further 14 projects for research and innovation are also being funded.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-29903138876250923462024-03-12T08:56:00.005-04:002024-03-12T08:56:41.666-04:00Canada objects to U,S. labels<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Canadians have reacted swiftly and strongly to another move by the United States to label meats and poultry products as U.S. products.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The voluntary system was announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaking at the annual meeting of the National Farmers Union.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Trade Minister Mary NG said the “meat and livestock sectors in Canada and the United States work closely together” and that Canada intends to raise the issue during the agriculture ministers trilateral meeting with United States and Mexico scheduled to take place in Colorado later this month.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Canadian Cattle Association called the rule “the most onerous standard in the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It is crucial to address any issues that threaten or diminish cattle and beef trade between Canada and the U.S.,” CCA president Nathan Phinney said in the statement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“We are very concerned that the rule will lead to discrimination against live cattle imports and undermine </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the beneficial integration of the North American supply chain.”</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Canadian pork industry has not yet issued a statement, but is likely to echo the CCA.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-24338841129238285462024-03-11T14:04:00.001-04:002024-03-11T14:04:25.626-04:00 Grays donate $3.5 million to research<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">Bill and Linda Gray are donating $3.5 million to the University of Guelph to fund poultry and egg research.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">They want research to focus on Improving innovation and sustainability in the Canadian poultry and egg industry.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">The gift will create the Bill and Lynne Gray Chair in Advanced Poultry Technology Management in the Department of Animal Biosciences within the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.tpQO7GetbLwFTf6NGhd1beGk6p82KGO82giJm6RMph7AqhyWdxYpFBnGmL7wE7StvHJb_YBQq7D21fqD7KQSicjxskI8xOQuU23IbZv8dJeG8OSIYMSXS33MfasovpSmtghBUcIx2t14c36g0vOZAthIkqfG733iMqp1ty6SRuVVSMcQ49gw3ID5M0I9zTuOLEscB3ZRBHPj8yXCLCopyrIiZXUeq7C4Q6Z-2Fh1NMHJ2OMvaU5B0kR8NMdLHSoCyDu4XeehoTlfYddTVV6JNkwH-2BYutS8hu0mhnnr-2BamciEuHamQke9JwI51MCyN-2FHcfNb7BT2ZZaeGy1LYmRnOoH46hyp5-2FPFhTx5O-2BCw4xPXU-2Bn8xNYw9d1TlPJWYT5I3NyVo2RPbklC3EiXgluOkrHwdWC3Y9aPCRK-2BOBGLQzioYsVImb-2Fc31jSd8c20FAF20Shns8S8LDUVDovASuM2ZH4Cl6Fag-3D-3D__;!!MtWvt2UVEQ!Fb6WLVgpxLUJB0iKyt9w2V4a12oVb3LZlhuMSUTorOvIJGMCHDUHaCtzSrCotoJpgEZeLYmihosgVcvnVIOx1VLUkQMUww$"><span style="color: blue;">Ontario Agricultural College</span></a>.<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">“We are incredibly grateful to Bill and Lynne Gray’s commitment to fund this chair, which will help OAC advance its mission of improving the Canadian and global food system,” said OAC acting dean Dr. John Cranfield. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">“This gift will help elevate our strength in poultry production research and teaching.” <span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">The chair will also work closely with faculty in the School of Engineering on environmental control issues such as lighting, ventilation, sanitation and biosecurity, using new and emerging technologies to help control the spread of avian diseases.<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">The donation comes via the William and Lynne Gray Foundation and L.H. Gray and Son Limited.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">Who knew I would write something nice about Bill Gary?</p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-62450218451740783812024-03-11T13:14:00.006-04:002024-03-11T13:14:22.782-04:00 New U.S. COOL regs announced<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p>United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said new regulations on country of origin labelling for meats and poultry products are now in effect.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">He made the announcement in a speech to the annual conference of the National Farmers Union.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">A key part of the new regulation says ‘‘Product of USA’’ and ‘‘Made in the USA’’ may be displayed on labels of (U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service)-regulated products only if the product is derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">FSIS is also proposing that claims other than the two authorized claims ‘‘Product of USA’’ and ‘‘Made in the USA’’ may be displayed on labels to indicate the U.S.- origin component of a product’s preparation and processing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">All U.S.-origin label claims that are not authorized claims are known as ‘‘qualified claims.’’ <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Qualified claims would need to include a description on the package of how the product compares to the regulatory criteria for the two authorized claims, ‘‘Product of USA’’ and ‘‘Made in the USA,’’ including all preparation and processing steps that occurred in the United States upon which the claim is made. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">For example, ‘‘Sliced and packaged in the United States using imported pork’’ could be a U.S.-origin qualified claim. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">FSIS is proposing that companies using a voluntary claim of U.S. origin on labels of FSIS-regulated products must, as with the use of all origin claims, maintain documentation to demonstrate that the product complies with criteria of the proposed regulatory requirements,” that part of the lengthy document says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Canada and Mexico have defeated two previous attempts to introduce country-of-origin labeling for meats.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">When those previous regulations were in place, meat packers who wanted to use meat from animals born, raised or slaughtered outside of the U.S. had to be kept separate in the food chain which resulted in discounted prices for imports.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Canada and Mexico successfully argued that this created a trade barrier that violated the trade agreement among the three countries.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-83090110718256094112024-03-11T09:55:00.002-04:002024-03-11T09:55:14.342-04:00PDCoV hits Huron County farm<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Swine Health Ontario belatedly reports an outbreak of Porcine Deltacaronavirus in a finisher barn in Huron County.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its website puts the date of the outbreak at Feb. 23, two days after an outbreak of the disease in a nursery in Oxford County and 10 days after two outbreaks in Haldimand County.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-10429530253970636042024-03-11T09:54:00.001-04:002024-03-11T09:54:04.853-04:00Four rabid bats in Ontario<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports four positive results of testing bats in Ontario for rabies during February.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">It tested 104 samples.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were no positives from testing 71 Ontario samples in January.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Natio-wide there have been five rabies cases for far this year. The one was in New Brunswick and was also a rabid bat.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-49385861903382288612024-03-11T09:31:00.001-04:002024-03-11T09:31:12.038-04:00The politics of raw milk flips parties<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Raw milk, once the darling of the most liberal Democrats, is now being championed by Republicans in the United States.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">In a lengthy article on edairynews, author Marc Novicoff of Politico outlines what’s happening as state legislatures vote to over-turn laws that mandate pasteurization for milk.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">“Long a fringe health food for new-age </span><a aria-label=" hippies (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.eater.com/2010/7/26/6725345/police-raid-raw-milk-hippie-club-for-your-health" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">hippies</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> and fad-chasing liberal foodies, raw milk has won over the hearts and minds of GOP (Republican) legislators and regulators in the last few years,” he wrote.</span><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">A recent vote in the Iowa legislature broke almost perfectly along party lines with nearly all Republicans in favor and only a handful of Democrats defecting to their side, Novicoff wrote.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">And it’s not just in Iowa. </span><a aria-label=" Montana (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/agriculture/following-new-montana-law-nonprofits-teach-raw-milk-safety/article_ac2a60ee-35dd-11ed-a0aa-27b833a44b20.html" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Montana</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, </span></span><a aria-label=" North Dakota (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.ndda.nd.gov/news/raw-milk-sales-now-legal-limited-fluid-milk" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">North Dakota</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, </span></span><a aria-label=" Alaska (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=210087" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Alaska</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, </span></span><a aria-label=" Georgia (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/05/04/georgia-dairy-farmers-can-sell-unpasteurized-milk-starting-next-year" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Georgia</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> and </span></span><a aria-label=" Wyoming (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2023/SF0102" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Wyoming</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> all have passed laws (or changed regulations) since 2020 legalizing the sale of raw milk on farms or in stores.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">In the words of Iowa Republican Senator Jason Schultz who for years failed in attempts to pass the law, “cycle after cycle, we find new officeholders are just becoming more freedom-oriented and less trusting of government at all levels.”</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">What changed?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">First, liberal elites gave up on it. Iowa Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the raw milk bill; it no longer gets sympathetic coverage in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/well/eat/raw-milk-risks.html" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #cc3366;">New York Times</span></i></a>, <i>Washington Post</i>, the <i>New Yorker</i>, Grist or <i>The Nation</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whole Foods no longer sells it (although <a href="https://shop.erewhonmarket.com/product/221761000/raw-milk" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Erewhon now does</span></a>), and perhaps fittingly, Whole Foods is now owned by Amazon, the trillion-dollar retailer whose employees <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-election-trump-biden-donors/" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">donated overwhelmingly</span></a> to Joe Biden over Donald Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Covid is sure to have played a role here, the era where many liberals internalized that trusting the experts distinguished them from Trump and those they considered anti-science (or worse, anti-vax). <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/school-reopening-plans-linked-to-politics-rather-than-public-health/" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">One study found</span></a> that whether a school planned to reopen in the fall of 2020 was much more related to its county’s support for Trump in 2016 than it was to local Covid numbers, Novicoff wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">At the same time, conservatives discovered that raw milk fit neatly inside a worldview that was increasingly skeptical of credentialed expertise. Though in some ways, it had always been a natural fit. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">As conservative writer Rod Dreher put it in a 2002 essay called <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2005/05/crunchy-cons-rod-dreher/" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">“Crunchy Cons”</span></a> about his love for the organic despite its liberal tinge (and the predictable sneering of his Republican colleagues), conservatism is in part defined by the belief that “generally speaking, Small and Local and Particular and Old are better.” Much more recently, <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-power-of-knowing-your-milkman/" style="color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Carmel Richardson wrote for <i>The American Conservative</i></span></a> after Iowa’s raw milk law went into effect that the law evoked “the ghost” of a “rugged ethos” present in American culture and history.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">As Suzy Weiss </span><a aria-label=" explained for The Free Press last January (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.thefp.com/p/raw-milk" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">explained for The Free Press last January</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, drinking raw milk is often a giant middle-finger to the experts — the same ones who say Joe Biden </span></span><a aria-label=" isn’t cognitively impaired (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/health/biden-memory-doj.html#:~:text=A%20federal%20investigator%20said%20that,close%20medical%20assessment%2C%20experts%20said." style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">isn’t cognitively impaired</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, that </span></span><a aria-label=" Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of America (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/19/presidents-survey-trump-ranks-last-biden-14th" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of America</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, and that drinking raw milk is “like playing Russian roulette with your health,” as the director of the FDA Division of Dairy and Egg Safety </span></span><a aria-label=" once said (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/pdf_Files/milk_pasteurized.pdf" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">once said</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">. </span><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">To be clear, </span><a aria-label=" the CDC’s own study (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/foodborne-illness-outbreaks-linked-to-unpasteurised-milk-and-relationship-to-changes-in-state-laws-united-states-19982018/4822109E69DDAB37E92CAAB41AB1CC0F" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">the CDC’s own study</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> says raw milk is estimated to have caused three deaths from 1998-2018 while oysters cause </span></span><a aria-label=" 100 deaths every year (opens in a new window)" data-tracking="mpos=&mid=&lindex=&lcol=" href="https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/oysters-and-vibriosis.html#:~:text=CDC%20estimates%20that%20about%2080%2C000,undercooked%20oysters%20during%20any%20month." style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96607d;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3366;">100 deaths every year</span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">. Weiss writes “for new consumers, raw milk </span></span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">is </i><span style="background: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">a symbol. … To drink (and especially to produce) raw milk is a way of breaking with convention and raging against the machine — the United States Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control, the FDA, doctors, PhDs, state regulators, and Big Dairy.”</span></span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-73447385668330320382024-03-09T09:17:00.001-05:002024-03-09T09:17:09.121-05:00Wheat research cluster gets $20 million<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Canadian National Wheat Cluster is receiving more than $20 million over five years for research.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Wheat Cluster will fund research projects that advance wheat genetics, agronomy and sustainability for the benefit of Canadian farmers.It will be administered by the Canadian Wheat Research Cluster.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Wheat is a vital crop in the rotations of grain farmers across the country,” said Jake Leguee, CWRC chair, who farms near Fillmore, Saskatchewan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“The investment in research through the Wheat Cluster will keep wheat profitable and sustainable for Canadian farmers, increasing quality and yields while finding new solutions for environmental stressors like drought and diseases like Fusarium head blight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Farmers have been practicing minimum tillage and nutrient stewardship for decades, and the activities funded under this will enhance those practices, allowing farmers to contribute further to the Government of Canada’s climate targets,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux announced the new Wheat Cluster on behalf of federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay,.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">More than $11.2 million will come from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and more than $9.3 million will come from producer and private organizations from across Canada and mainly by Prairie grain and research organizations.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-72207095772420702112024-03-08T14:37:00.003-05:002024-03-08T14:37:47.378-05:00Chicken buyers settle price-fixing lawsuit<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;">A class of chicken buyers settled antitrust claims against six processors and an agricultural data firm to save $1 million in legal fees, according to court records cited in a report by Meatingplace Magazine.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">The filing showed the class opted to settle with the seven defendants to mitigate potential financial risks associated with post-trial proceedings or appeals. The settlements entail mutual waivers of further litigation, ensuring that neither party will seek recovery of costs, fees, or attorney expenses from the other.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Last week, the class of direct purchasers said they reached settlements with Foster Farms, Perdue Farms, Case Farms, Claxton Poultry Farms, Wayne Farms, Agri Stats and Sanderson Farms in January. The settlements involve allegations that the nation’s top poultry producers conspired to fix prices.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Both sides asked the Illinois federal judge for preliminary approval. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">The class reached settlements with other poultry producers totaling $284 million.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Plaintiffs also asked the judge to keep members of the class together because</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> a group of restaurants in the class try to exit and terminate an $8 million settlement between the class and Simmons Foods. The case is ongoing in an appeals court.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-81364074740340641352024-03-08T09:51:00.003-05:002024-03-08T09:51:24.006-05:00 A new veterinary act introduced<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Ontario government has introduced a bill to update the Ontario Veterinary Act.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The main thrust of the changes is to enable veterinary technicians to expand the scope of what they can do to help animals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Governance would also change by including more representatives of the public on College of Veterinarians, which is the regulatory body, and representatives of veterinary technicians and academics.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Politicians would also gain “enhanced ministerial oversight of the college’s governing council.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The college name will be changed to College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The college will be mandated to develop a formal quality assurance program which will include continuing education.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Complaints are to be addressed more quickly, there will be updated procedures for investigations and to address allegations of professional misconduct and fitness to practice and legal protection for whistleblowers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlicensed people who treat animals in a harmful way will face penalties of up to $25,000 for a first offence and $50,000 for repeat offences.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">For corporations, the fine are $50,000 for a first offence and $200,000 for subsequent offences.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-55919302744042409852024-03-07T09:20:00.001-05:002024-03-07T09:20:05.086-05:00Farm outlook declines<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Farm profit outlook declines<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">A survey of 70 agricultural economists revealed consensus that incomes will dive to $117 billion this year from about $124 billion last year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their outlook is far more pessimistic than the United States Department of Agriculture’s figure of $121,7 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The monthly monitor of the agriculture economists indicates they expect operating costs to stay high because of high interest rates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The result will be a major hit to profits.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The February monthly monitor shows more than 40 per cent expect interest rates to fall no more than one per cent this year, and 44 per cent are becoming more pessimistic<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #434343;"> </span></span>about any interest rate cuts in 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It looks like corn prices will be below production costs for many producers. We have not had that for a long time, especially since the ethanol boom started almost 20 years ago. The struggles this time will be for corn farmers. Producers of other crops like cotton, wheat and rice have had difficult years,” said one economist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The ripple effect of the sudden downturn, according to other economists, could be a slowdown in new equipment sales and a correction in land values.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“A slowdown in new equipment sales, slow upward creep in loan defaults, some leveling off of growth in land values,” saId one economist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Moderation of land value gains on the one hand, and deteriorating financial conditions for farmers involved in U.S. wheat enterprises,” said another economist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Producers without significant cash reserves will start to get squeezed. I would expect rental rates to slow down or even fall,” said another.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-26477616998688737562024-03-07T09:01:00.006-05:002024-03-07T09:01:30.425-05:00Hydro seeks responses to line routes<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hydro One is seeking responses to three routes that could be developed for two new transmission lines between Strathroy-Caradoc and Lakeshore.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">They will cut through farms.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Five community open houses will be held by Hydro One in late March and early April to share project updates and present route alternatives to gather local feedback to evaluate the route alternatives and select a preferred route proposed for the Longwood to Lakeshore project.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hydro One vice president Sonny Karunakaran said the company plans to conduct additional studies and continue to gather input from Indigenous communities, elected officials, property owners, businesses, residents, and other interest groups to better evaluate the routes and select the preferred route for the project, which is anticipated in early 2025.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-51280668899135389372024-03-06T14:09:00.007-05:002024-03-06T14:09:38.602-05:00B.C. cherry growers brace for another tough year<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Cold January weather that wiped out this year’s grape crop also inflicted considerable damage to cherry trees Sukhpaul Bal, president of the British Columbia Cherry Association told the annual meeting recently.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;">The long January cold snap is expected to reduce the 2024 crop significantly, promising a sixth season of pain, reports County Life in B.C. magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">“If this is the new normal, we cannot tackle these problems on our own,” Bal said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">The B.C. Cherry board voted to subsidize grower costs for the in-orchard cherry fruit fly trapping program required to export cherries to China. This will enable registered growers to continue meeting export requirements, whether or not they have much fruit to export this season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I urge you to stick with China, and that is why the board has voted to subsidize the work this season,” said Richard Isaacs, chair of B.C. Cherry’s market access committee.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">“If you withdraw from the program, we don’t know if you would be able to get back on the list next year,” he said.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">B.C. cherries were well received in the South Korean market last year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">“First impressions were good,” Isaacs said, adding that further export opportunities are limited.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"><span style="font-size: large;">British Columbia cherries face stiff competition from growers in Washington State, Oregon and California, particularly after winter weather also reduced the B.C. crop last year.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #323232;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-67183170298437452702024-03-06T10:08:00.007-05:002024-03-06T10:08:51.321-05:00Ireland genotyping all calves<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ireland’s beef and dairy farmers have had more than 350,000 calves genotyped in the last 10 weeks as part of a program that aims to have a genetic passport for every animal in the country.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s the National Genotyping Programme that is a joint effort of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and the government.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The program will eliminate cheating on pedigrees and will provide farmers with more information to plan matings.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the past the Canadian beef industry has had some sensational cheating on pedigrees, including a prize-winning Angus bull who, when he was taken outside in the rain for a picture, shed black dye to reveal white fur underneath.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thousands of offspring of Perfection were kicked out of the Canadian polled Hereford registry because his parentage came into question.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-51013372606531784992024-03-06T09:43:00.007-05:002024-03-06T09:43:58.192-05:00New milk promotion offers rewards<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has launched a consumer rewards program to thank shoppers for choosing Canadian dairy products.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.9rem;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">The new “More Goodness” program is the first of its kind, DFC said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Canadian dairy farmers are amongst the most trusted professionals in the country, working day in, day out to feed the nation,” said David Wiens, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Our farmers not only produce high-quality milk, but they do so under some of the most stringent standards and sustainable practices in the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.9rem;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">The promotion is part of the Blue Cow program that involves dairy farmers’ marketing boards, milk processors, retailers and foodservice companies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">Consumers who sign up for the rewards program will have exclusive access to special offers, contests, recipes, nutritional information and creative content.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-1035899453542072092024-03-05T15:39:00.008-05:002024-03-05T15:39:40.836-05:00Four new chicken farmers approved<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Chicken Farmers of Ontario introduced four new chicken farmers during the annual meeting held recently.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">They are Natalie and Shawn Gillis, Linda & Chris Givli, Justin MacDonald and Jodi & Chris Van Loon.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">In addition to some quota to get started, they will be given coaching and provided with mentorship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">This brings the total to 32 new entrants since the program began in 2012.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-68552025793880041872024-03-05T15:32:00.004-05:002024-03-05T15:32:26.182-05:00U.S. dairy may challenge Canada again<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The United States dairy industry will probably try again to muscle its way into the Canadian market, according to <span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;">Ted McKinney, a former undersecretary at U.S. Department of Agriculture and currently chief executive officer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;">Speaking to the Canadian Agri-Food Automation & Intelligence Network Feb. meeting in Ottawa, he is quoted by e-dairy news saying “how (the) dairy (deal) was implemented here has really not set well.” </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;">He said he hopes to a see dispute resolution that will provide American farmers with something closer to what they thought they were getting with the Trump trade deal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We’re hoping the system will show whether we were right or we were wrong. Maybe there was a misjudgment,” said McKinney.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><span style="font-size: large;">He urged Canadians to take the issue seriously and resolve it so it doesn’t bring other areas of trade into jeopardy.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">The trade deal gave the U.S. dairy industry access to 3.5 per cent of the Canadian market, but the U.S. has complained that Canada’s administration of low-tariff quotas is frustrating them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">The online news outlet also cited an interview with Kyle Larkin, exectuve director of Grain Farmers of Canada, who said the Canadian dairy industry’s insistence on maintaining trade barriers is frustrating deals that would benefit other farmers, including negotiations with the United Kingdom which walked out of talks because of Canada’s refusal to allow any cheese from the U.K. into Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-66299179066827189572024-03-05T09:33:00.005-05:002024-03-05T09:33:26.519-05:00Luymes family wins Sollio award<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Luymes family of Moorefield has won the Sollio award for best family business transition.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">The grain and custom operating business was passed from John and Elaine to brothers Rob and Mark Luymes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brothers Ivan and Daniel MacKinnon of Alvinston won the New Farm Enterprise Award for their MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311613385888602384.post-42015349409536537082024-03-05T09:32:00.003-05:002024-03-05T09:32:16.432-05:00Olymel fortunes have reversed<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sollio co-operative, owner of Olymel and a number of other major agriculture businesses, reports that drastic cut-backs at Olymel turned its financials around from a $446.1 million loss last year to a surplus of $138.3 million this year.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last year Olymel closed plants at Vallee-Jonction, Sainte-Hyacinthe and Princeville and shut down some hog farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Quebec also implemented a sharp reduction in hog production.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sales were helped by exports to China from its operations in Western Canada, the company said.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Jim Romahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12306129608190498175noreply@blogger.com