It is the world’s largest potash producer, formerly known as Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan until it bought Agrium, the world’s largest fertilizer retailer and merged the companies under the Nutrien name.
Nutrien has also said it’s in negotiations with BHP (formerly Broken Hill Properties of Australia) to make BHP’s developing mine at Jansen, Sask., a joint venture.
Shefter is an important processor for chicken farmers who are enrolled in the Artisinal Chicken Program run by the Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board.
The marketing board said in a current article in a publication for smaller-scale meat and poultry processors that the growth of the Artisinal Chicken Program is constrained by the lack of processors who can handle their relatively small lots.
It also processes for the Peking duck market.
Owner Dale Shefter praised the quick response of firefighters from Howick, Wingham and Minto.
The Memorial Day holiday in the United States also contributed to the reduction.
In Canada, it was the former XL Packers plant at Brooks, Alta., that was shut down because it is now owned by JBS USA.
Beef production was down 14.5 per cent last week from the prior week at an estimated 443 million pounds.
That compares to a decline of 4.5 per cent for the same holiday-shortened week in 2019, said the Daily Livestock Report which is published by Steiner Consulting Group. Slaughter last week was about 50,000 head below the same period in 2019.
The publication said it will take some time to catch up on the backlog of slaughter-ready cattle, but will be faster for hogs.
The report said pork production last week at 424.4 million pounds, down by 17 per cent from the previous week and by 7.5 per cent from the same week in 2019.
The extent of the cyberattack's impact on broiler production will become clearer when the United States Department of Agriculture releases its estimates later this week.
One problem from failing to get proper suspension on the vaccine is a dose that is too weak.
The other problem comes later if vaccine is drawn from what remains in the vial. It could have too much medication.
Overdosing can not only have adverse effects on the animal, it could lead to a residue violation, she said.
She was part of a team that conducted a study of what happens when vaccine is administered from a vial that has not been shaken as directed, which is often 90 seconds.
This year it was fully subscribed by February, increasing the total of farms enrolled to 163.
Artisinal chicken producers can raise between 600 and 3,000 birds a year without requiring expensive quota.
“Coming out of COVID, there’s been a lot of interest” in the program, said Carl Stevenson, the marketing board’s manager of community programs operations and flock advisor.
The application process for the Artisanal Chicken program is rigorous, with documentation, interviews and board approval. There’s also a requirement for the farms and records to be audited annually.
Audits cover three main areas: on-farm food safety, animal care and farm worker safety.
And newcomers are being advised to line up a processor long before they expect their birds will be ready for slaughter.
“Some farmers have to travel up to two and a half hours to get to a processor,” said Shanna Armstrong, the marketing board’s farming operations.
She said the lack of processing facilities for small-scale producers is the main impediment now.
She has noticed an improvement in pastures for raising chickens free range. They are becoming more lush, she said, reflecting the fertilizer chickens leave on the land.
Stevenson says there is a lot of enthusiasm for the Artisanal Chicken program—and there’s definitely room for growth.
It's a far cry from a decade ago when the chicken board scouted the countryside to shut down any farmer who dared grow chicken without a quota. It's also one of the brightest hopes for survival of the chicken industry in Ontario if and when supply management collapses.
They both have the same performance on digestion, absorption and on the ability to stimulate muscle production, the report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said.
When combined with sustainability arguments, this makes insects an equally great protein source to use for food production, it said.
World food prices are rising at their fastest pace in a decade, led by vegetables oils and cereals.
The overall index tabulated by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, was 39.6 per cent higher than a year ago and 4.8 per cent higher than in April.
Cereal prices were up by 35.7 per cent from a year ago and by 4.8 per cent from April, driven mainly by corn.
Vegetable oils were up by 7.8 per cent from April and have now consistently moved higher for 12 months.
The dairy index moved up by 1.5 per cent from April, but is only 1.7 per cent higher than a year ago. Meats were up by 10 per cent from a year ago and by 2.2 per cent from April. They have consistently risen for 10 months.