Update — 4pm EDT April 7th: The CFIA placed another six neighbouring farms under quarantine on Tuesday for precautionary measures (these farms had not reported sudden mortalities or other signs of avian influenza.) The infected barn housed 12,000 turkeys, of which 7,500 have died. The CFIA says the remaining birds will be euthanized on Wednesday.... Read More

Ontario's Organic Meadow Co-operative Inc. has filed for creditor protection in order to complete a "restructuring of its operations," the company announced today in a press release. Organic Meadow is Canada's oldest co-operative of organic farmers, organized in 1989, and represents over 100 family farms across Ontario. The company’s goal is to emerge from the... Read More

The head of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is accusing the union that represents food inspectors of "unnecessarily undermining Canadians' confidence in their food safety system." The Agriculture Union issued a news release this week saying cost-cutting within the CFIA is creating an inspector shortage that is putting Canadians' health at risk. As an example,... Read More

The Fresh From the Farm fundraising program has expanded to 28 Ontario school boards, just three years into the pilot project. This is an expansion over the 19 school boards from last year, says the group. The program, where students sell bundles of Ontario potatoes, carrots, and onions and boxes of apples, has helped schools... Read More

Monsanto has announced $4 million in funding to protect monarch butterfly populations, mainly through the restoration of milkweed habitat in North America. The company on Tuesday committed $3.6 million over three years to the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as well as $400 thousand in funding for universities and non-profit organizations involved in monarch... Read More

After months of anticipation, the grain and oilseed market finally got to see the U.S.D.A.’s acreage estimates for 2015 on Tuesday morning. While traders had braced themselves for some surprises and volatility, most of the numbers in both the Prospective Plantings and Quarterly Grain Stocks reports fell within the range of expectations. However, the numbers... Read More

Canaryseed is not listed as an official grain in the Canada Grain Act, so farmers selling the crop have no protection from the Canadian Grain Commission's licensing and bonding program. The Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan (CDSC) issued a notice on Monday reminding producers about payment risk, while singling out a Melfort-based specialty crop buyer.... Read More