Ag News

The future of the system used in Canadian dairy, egg and poultry production will once again be the focus of political debate

The Bloc Quebecois wasted no time returning a sometimes contentious topic to the parliamentary agenda, introducing a bill to protect supply management just days after the first session of the new government began.

Canada’s Code of Practice for Care and Handling of Pigs is up for review, a process expected to be compete by 2028

Canada’s national pig code is getting an update.

‘We’ve launched the code of practice with the National Farm Animal Care Council,” said Stephen Heckbert, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council.

The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs will be guided by the development process set out by the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), the spearheading body for Canada’s various livestock codes.

Heartland Livestock in Virden has seen some large numbers of cattle come through the auction ring over the past number of weeks, reaching record highs.

In early May the Virden auction mart hosted the Canadian Livestock Auction Championship where 39 auctioneers from across Canada where cattle producers saw their assets turn to cash for the 5111 cattle that came through the ring that day.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched an investigation into a case of bovine tuberculosis in an animal originating from the Pembina Valley in Manitoba. It was slaughtered at a federally registered abattoir in Manitoba.

According to the CFIA, Bovine TB is a reportable disease in Canada and has been subject to a mandatory national eradication program since 1923. While all areas of Canada are considered to be officially free of bovine TB today, isolated cases in cattle may occur.

Some areas of the prairies have received some rain over the past few days, but the weeks of hot, dry weather have had an impact on crops, hay, and pastureland. 

With the dry conditions across so much of the Prairies, there's been an increased concern about grasshopper infestations.

Dr. Meghan Vankosky, a research scientist in field crop entomology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says grasshoppers could be shaping up to be an important story again this year.

Manitoba Agriculture has released the latest edition of the Potato Report - here is the Executive Summary

Farmers across the G7 are confronting unprecedented pressures as the world faces overlapping geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges. Inflation, high interest rates, and continued fallout from recent financial shocks have destabilized farm economies. At the same time, trade disruptions, and fractured supply chains are compounding uncertainty in the agricultural sector. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change—more frequent droughts, floods, and extreme weather—are threatening productivity and straining rural infrastructure.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald recently spent Friday and Saturday touring Saskatchewan.

During his visit, he had an opportunity to talk with producers and stakeholders about key agricultural issues and concerns and the potential opportunities that exist within the industry today and in the future.

Manitoba Agriculture is ramping up for their annual Field Day through the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO) in Melita scheduled for Thursday, July 17th.

Applied Research Specialist, Scott Chalmers, says they're looking forward to sharing their test plot studies on a variety of crops and varieties.

"We're bringing back our touring buses for people to ride in comfort as we travel from field to field," he explains. "But we're looking forward to having a great day at this year's Field Day once again."

Manitoba and northern Ontario rep (all the way to Thunder Bay) for Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Dale Friesen, has been making the rounds, touring across his region to meet and greet partner Foodgrains communities and learn more about their projects.

Friesen stepped into the role upon the retirement of former rep, Gordon Janzen.  He says the first 5 months of this new position has been great in getting to know the folks behind the projects.