Workers’ comp. mandated for Man. farms

Manitoba farms and farm-related industries will soon have to carry workers’ compensation coverage for their employees. Following the recommendations of the provincial Workers Compensation Board in a report released in June, the province will extend mandatory WCB coverage to an additional 7,500 employers and 30,000 workers, starting January 1, 2009. In the ag sector, this […] Read more

Man. college plans GPS, GIS training for farmers

A new partnership between Assiniboine Community College (ACC) and the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association (MZTRA) is designed to expand farmers’ understanding of precision agriculture technology through a two-year research project conducted at the MZTRA farm. The $137,000 project is supported by the Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI), MZTRA and Brandon-based ACC through cash […] Read more


N.B. farmers invited to apply for board

New Brunswick’s new pilot project to open the public board appointment process to applications from the public will now include the provincial Farm Products Commission. The province announced Tuesday it is accepting “expressions of interest” from people who are “committed to the sustainability of the province’s agriculture industry,” Agriculture Minister Ron Ouellette said in a […] Read more

Talks wrap up on Canada/Jordan FTA

The federal government says it’s concluded its negotiations toward a free trade agreement (FTA) with Jordan that would benefit Canadian pulse growers among other sectors. International Trade Minister Michael Fortier announced Tuesday that the talks had concluded during their third round in Amman on Monday. “This bilateral free trade agreement will open up significant opportunities […] Read more

Yukon moves to thin elk herd

Yukon farmers are expected to be among the beneficiaries of a proposed “limited harvest” of elk in the territory in 2009, the government said Monday. The Yukon government, which adopted a new elk management plan in June, said Monday it will begin work with First Nations and other stakeholders on some more of the plan’s […] Read more


Editors’ Picks: Cows line up by longitude

A new European study suggests your cattle may be among the animal species that have a built-in compass. Quoted Tuesday in an Associated Press report by Randolph Schmid, a joint German/Czech study led by biologists Hynek Burda and Sabine Begall of the University of Duisburg-Essen found that cattle at rest or grazing show a statistical […] Read more

N.B. tops up milk prices

New Brunswick’s dairy consumers will pay 3.5 cents per litre more for milk beginning Sept. 1, the New Brunswick Farm Products Commission announced Tuesday. “The price adjustment is wholly based on the effects of the rise of fuel costs throughout the supply chain,” chairman Hazen Myers said in a provincial release. “Rising fuel costs not […] Read more

Ont. farmers to vote on crop boards’ merger

Farmers registered with Ontario’s corn, wheat and soybean growers’ groups will vote next month on a proposal for a single marketing board to replace the three boards. The “expression of opinion” vote will be held between Sept. 9 and Sept. 30 at the request of the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association (OCPA), the Ontario Soybean Growers […] Read more


Maple Leaf delays Toronto plant restart

Tarred with a link to a listeriosis outbreak now connected to six deaths in Ontario and illnesses in four provinces, plus a costly product recall, Maple Leaf Foods has re-thought its plans to reopen an affected Toronto meat processing plant on Tuesday. The food processing company announced Monday night that it will now delay the […] Read more

CEMA now “Egg Farmers of Canada”

Canada’s national egg marketing agency has officially renamed itself Egg Farmers of Canada. The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA), as the agency has been known for over 35 years, announced Monday that its official name and logo change has taken place. In a release Friday before the official launch, agency president Laurent Souligny said he […] Read more