Springwater pepperonistix on recall

 

Testing revealed Listeria monocytogenes prompting a recall of Springwater Packers mild pepperonistix.

They were distributed in Ontario.

                  

Ralph Dietrich named commission vice-chair

Ralph Dietrich of Mildmay has been appointed to a two-year term as vice-chairman of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.

Cheryl Firby of St. Marys has been appointed a member, also for two years.

The commission oversees all of the province’s 25 marketing boards.

Amy Cronin of Bluevale is the chair and Valerie Gilvesy of Tillsonburg is a vice-chair.

There are now eight members.

Trudeau threatens big grocery chains

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the big supermarket chains need to “stabilize prices by Thanksgiving” or he will take action.

He told a meeting for Liberals in London that he will be asking executives from Loblaws, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco to come up with a plan that will stabilize prices by Thanksgiving.

"If their plan doesn't provide real relief for the middle class and people working to join it, then we will take further action and we are not ruling anything out, including tax measures," Trudeau said to a room of applauding Liberal MPs.

Trudeau's remarks come as grocery prices continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation - with Stats Canada saying the cost of groceries was up 8.5 percent in July.

"It's not okay that our biggest grocery stores are making record profits while Canadians are struggling to put food on the table," Trudeau said.

He said nothing about a code of conduct that has been under discussion among federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers for more than a year.

He also said the Competition Act will be amended, first to enable the government to order the chains to provide more financial information and second to eliminate a provision in mergers that allows them to use gains in efficiencies as justification.

Western Fair, Farm Credit partnering

 The Western Fair District and Farm Credit Canada are partnering on Innovation Farms Ontario to run demonstrations by AgExpert at Haggarty Creek Farms near Bothwell.

This research farm is part of a network of Canadian demonstration farms where innovative, emerging technology is developed and tested. 

The results and benefits of different technologies in the emerging agriculture robotics and automation industry are shared with producers to optimize current farming practices and future decisions.

“Practical research and on-farm testing on new technologies such as automation, robotics and sustainability innovations will help farmers confidently adopt new systems with less risk,” said Chuck Baresich, president of Haggerty Creek Farms.

He said support from FCC “will allow us to tap into incredible potential that will increase productivity for producers and provide them with the ability to put their labour into high value work.

 “The new resources complement the great research we have conducted with OMAFRA and the AgRobotics Working Group.”

Including FCC’s farm management software, AgExpert, in the name and on the farm, signals the value both Western Fair and FCC place on growing Canada’s digital agriculture system, the organizations said in a release.  The 2,000-acre full-scale production innovation farm will use AgExpert software as part of its testing, research, and technology development.

This partnership will also support The Grove at Western Fair District, a growing agriculture and food business innovation hub that is already home to 32 companies. 

The Grove offers a range of resources to support food processors and businesses to access the startup funds and tools they need to begin scaling their businesses.

Pork industry hammered

Pork producers have suffered the worst and longest losing market in 30 years, says Christine McCracken, senior analyst for animal protein at Rabobank.

And it’s going to last into next year, said Lee Schulz,, livestock economist at Iowa State Unviersity.

“What we’re experiencing currently in 2023 and into 2024 is [one] of the worst stretches ever in hog production, as we look back to 1974,” he said.

 He expects losses this year will average $30 per hog and next year $16.

The best they can hope for this year, with losses at one point having reached $58 per head, is a loss of $2 per head over the summer, he said.

He was speaking in July.

Helping prop up the industry for now are strong exports and similar struggles in competing animal proteins. 

Meanwhile, continuously improving production efficiencies and hog health lay a foundation for a rebound when the time comes. 

Olymel closing poultry plant at Paris

Olymel is closing its poultry further-processing plant at Paris and moving the equipment to Oakville where it will spend $8 million on renovations and expansion to handle chicken from its slaughter plant at Brampton.

Ninety-three people employed at Paris will have the option to retain their jobs at Oakville.

The company is also closing a pork boning and packaging plant at Princeville, Centre-du-Quebec. It employs 301 workers.

Olymel has been struggling with huge losses on its pork production and processing in Quebec and Alberta and earlier announced closure of one of its main hog-slaughter plants in Quebec.

Three Ontario youth win $5,000 scholarships

Reegan Charlton of Brantford, David Johnston of Listowel and Ashley Miller of Hillsdale have each won a $5,000 scholarship from McDonald’s Canada and 4-H Canada.

Charlton plans to pursue a bachelor of science degree at the University of Saskatchewan, and Johnston and Miller will seek bachelor of science degrees at the University of Guelph.

Other winner are Hanna Fitchett of Quesnel, B.C., Brooklyn and Halee Piasta of La Salle, Man.  Shianne Simpson of Picadilly, N.B. and Vicotira Walker of Oakbank, Man.

McDonald’s Canada is providing $80,000 for scholarships over two years.