If you’re keeping tabs on Ontario’s beef industry this Local Food Week, you’ve seen how a company’s profile can grow when it markets its brand effectively, promotes itself tirelessly, and stands on values instead of gimmicks. A prime example is VG Meats, which seems to be popping up everywhere. VG stands for Van Gronigen, a... Read More
Category: Livestock
The threat of retaliation from Canada and Mexico is forcing American lawmakers and farm groups to weigh whether it's worth maintaining the mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules for meat. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which describes itself as the largest general farm organization in the U.S., announced Wednesday it has decided to back... Read More
If you were impacted by extreme drought or moisture in 2014, there may be some good news coming your way, as the Government of Canada has finalized a list of regions eligible for tax deferral for 2014. The changes mean that eligible producers will be able to defer a portion of their income from sales... Read More
The Canadian Pork Council has published a study outlining not only what Canadian hog producers stand to gain from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but more significantly, what the Canadian hog sector would lose if Canada isn’t part of the multi-lateral trade deal. While the TPP negotiations currently include 12 countries, for Canadian hog producers, the deal... Read More
The Peterson Farm Bros might be American, but their latest effort gives a decisive nod to their northern neighbours with this Bachman Turner Overdrive parody, "Takin' Care of Livestock." All three brothers are joined by their sister in this livestock feeding frenzy, but it's not just their parents that make a cameo! Farmers, farm kids,... Read More
Proclaiming dairy, or any sector for that matter, “today’s greatest business opportunity,” is bold indeed. But that was the way dairy was positioned at a huge animal feed symposium that concluded last week at Alltech's world headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. Using milk as an example, participants at various sessions at the symposium heard how dairy... Read More
North America's largest food retailer, Walmart, unveiled its positions on animal welfare and the use of antibiotics in farm animals on Friday. Strangely enough, farm groups and animal rights organizations alike applauded the company's animal care guidelines. While both sides are welcoming Walmart's positions, if you dig a bit deeper, there are conflicting views on... Read More
A feed mill in Winnipeg will be the first commercial facility in North America to use an infrared-based grain sorting technology to remove grain infected with fusarium or ergot. Standard Nutrition Canada Co. is receiving $1.1 million from the federal and Manitoba governments, and investing $1.1 million of its own, to purchase two BoMill TriQ... Read More
Canadian beef industry leaders have established an endowment fund to support "the sustainable advancement and legacy of the Canadian beef industry." The Canadian Cattlemen's Foundation will have three main focus areas within the beef sector: youth and leadership development, environmental sustainability, and research. “If we want to see our industry thrive in the future we... Read More
It’s been a big week for the beef industry, with news that the World Trade Organization has ruled against Country of Origin Labeling for a fourth and final time and the subsequent — almost immediate — introduction and approval of a bill to repeal it by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. But, what does all... Read More