Mental health study underway

 The universities of Manitoba and Guelph are running a survey program investigating the mental health of beef and dairy farmers.

The dairy start-up study will assess the impact on producer well-being as they install and adjust to robots on the farm. The remaining two studies focus on how farm management and animal health impact dairy and beef producer well-being.

Dr. Meagan King, University of Manitoba Department of Animal Science is the principal investigator and faculty supervisor.

She said a recent Canadian study found many farmers have high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, often ranking higher than seen in other professions.

The beef and dairy wellbeing studies will explore factors related to producer mental health, including demographics, farm management, work environment, responsibilities, and connections between producer wellbeing and animal health.

Beef producers will be asked questions in a 20-minute online survey to help assess if there are any differences between cow-calf, background, and feedlot producer wellbeing, perspectives on wild animals on the farm, and animal control protocols. 

Participants must be 18 or older and owner-operator of a beef operation in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba.

The dairy study, funded partly by Dairy Farmers of Ontario, follows a similar vein, with King collaborating with Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, Dr. Brianna Hagen and Dr. Charlotte Winder from the University of Guelph. The study runs from April to October 2023.

The study about robot milkers iinvolves a 30-minute survey once before installation and twice after and is for producers in Ontario and the western provinces.

HyLife bankruptcy plan approved

A federal bankruptcy judge in Deleware has approved HyLife Foods’ subsidiaries’ Chapter 11 plan and creditors owed about $100 million now have until Sept. 28 to vote on the proposal.

Tritek International Inc., HyLife Foods Windom and Canwin Farms LLC filed for bankruptcy in April.

The three companies are subsidiaries of HyLife Foods of Manitoba.

The judge went ahead despite objections from the U.S. Trustee’s Office, which said the plan “is unconfirmable in its present form. The Disclosure Statement does not provide adequate information because it contains no liquidation analysis,” among other concerns.

In June, HyLife Windom closed and sold the facility to Iowa Premium Pork for $14 million. The shutdown cost about 1,000 jobs, with roughly half of those workers at the facility on work visas.

Dufferin prepares for students

Dufferin prepares for students

 

Dufferin County volunteers are preparing for thousands of school children to visit the International Plowing Match & Rural Exposition Sept. 19 to 23 at Bowling Green.

They say registration spaces for classroom trips are filling fast and they anticipate having 70,000 come.

The education team have worked hard to ensure the experiences and opportunities at the match appeal to every grade level and are in alignment with the current classroom curriculum, drawing the connections between food and agriculture with science, math, language, health, arts, environmental and social studies, said Brianne Curtis, chair of the education committee.

Organizers have prepared a comprehensive, 30-page Curriculum Connections document to assist educators with both their trip planning and post-visit classroom activities that covers all the grades from Junior Kindergarten through to Grade 12. 

Both the Online School Registration Form and the downloadable Curriculum Connections document are available at www.plowingmatch.org/ipm2023/education/. The deadline to register is Friday, September 8. 

Cow-calf guys kicked out of lawsuit

 

A group of cow-calf producers has been kicked out of a class-action lawsuit against meat packers accused of conspiring to fix prices paid for cattle.

Minnesota District Judge John R. Tunheim said the cow-calf producers do not have a direct interest in the case.

The ranchers claim beef producers caused a collapse in fed cattle prices in 2015 and that depressed the prices of cows and calves. Tunheim said they did not clearly explain how manipulating fed cattle prices affected cow-calf prices.

Duh!

Hershey buys back Smith Falls plant

 

Hershey Canada Ltd. Is buying back its 700,00-square-foot plant in Smith Falls for $53 million.

Canopy Growth sold it to reduce its debt and improve its troubled finances.

Canopy Growth closed the marijuana-growing facility in February as part of down-sizing that involved laying off 800 employees, 35 per cent of its workers.

It also announced plans to consolidate its operations in Kelowna, B.C., and Kincardine, Ont. It also has a plant at Mirabel, Que.

Hershey chief executive Todd Scott said buying the plant is a strategic acquisition” that will improve its “supply chain network.”

When it closed the plant in 2017, it rocked the community where it was the dominant employer.

Chicken production target moderates

The national agency for chicken has set a modest production target for the fall – Nov. 19 to Jan. 13 – at two per cent above base.

Ontario’s goal is 70 million kilograms, 2.6 per cent above base.

In setting the goal, the agency said “demand for chicken continues to be strong. This is supported by competing meat prices and overall market conditions.”

The current production target is more than three per cent above base.

Chatham employers set an example

 

FarmGate Advisors Inc. and Conagra Brands have organize a "Guest Worker Appreciation Day" event on Saturday, at Yardie Vibez in Chatham for temporary foreign workers from Jamaica.

The event is dedicated to honouring the contributions of the Conagra Guest Workers flying in from Jamaica and workers who play an essential role in Chatham-Kent's agricultural sector.

"The occasion is a unique opportunity for these hardworking individuals to be recognized and honored for their dedication and unwavering commitment," said Rick Moore, office manager at FarmGate Advisors Inc. 

"We believe in the power of unity and the importance of showing genuine appreciation to those who contribute significantly to our community."

They said they hope to inspire others to acknowledge and support the region's vast community of seasonal workers.

The guest workers from Jamaica will be working at the FarmGate Advisors facilities until late November.

Conagra Brands makes and sells products under various brands in supermarkets, restaurants, and food service establishments.