Humans can be incredibly innovative, but it often takes a crisis to make that happen. There are technologies or simply process changes that people know about but haven’t had the impetus to implement, whether because of human or technological barriers. A good example is the mRNA vaccines which quickly have become the leading candidates for […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19 — page 28
Editorial: New technology showing up in COVID vaccines
mRNA vaccines could be more effective and efficient
Denmark wants to dig up ‘zombie mink’ that resurfaced from mass graves
Copenhagen | Reuters — Denmark’s government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after some resurfaced from mass graves. Denmark ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of […] Read more
China’s coronavirus testing chokes beef trade
Additional inspections, disinfections costly for importers
Beijing | Reuters — In a supermarket in downtown Beijing, refrigerator shelves normally filled with steak from around the world sit empty as tougher testing for the novel coronavirus creates supply bottlenecks and raises prices for importers. Fresh supplies of beef won’t arrive for days, a salesman at the Suning.com-owned Carrefour outlet told Reuters — […] Read more
Canada’s mink farms brace for COVID
Producers have had time to increase biosecurity efforts at the farm level
Canada’s 40 mink farms are operating under heightened biosecurity requirements after reports of COVID-19 jumping from humans to mink in Europe. Alan Herscovici, an industry spokesperson who operates the website Truthaboutfur.com, said early reports out of Denmark and other European countries gave Canadian producers some time to prepare. “These farms have always had a certain […] Read more
Food system change accelerates
Disruptive business trends and public awareness hit the fast lane in 2020
Times of crises accelerate innovation and the pace of change – and the world is still in the middle of one of the biggest global upheavals of the past 100 years. As the Canadian public contended with empty store shelves for the first time in living memory, that change came in the form of acute […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola stronger at midweek
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts were stronger on Wednesday, making up losses incurred earlier in the week. The nearby January contract closed Wednesday at $578.90 per tonne, gaining a few dollars after losing $7 in the prior day’s trade. Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg said canola’s losses were due to chart […] Read more
Looking outside of agriculture for a future workforce
COVID-19 has shown that workers don’t have to be in offices – or rural areas — to be effective
COVID-19 could be an opportunity to bring new and diverse talent into the agriculture sector, as companies learn that geography is not a limit to many jobs. Trevor Heck, president of Syngenta Canada said during a recent panel on the future workforce in Canadian agriculture that traditionally companies have hired near their head office or […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures follow beef prices, Dow higher
Chicago lean hogs end mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed higher on Tuesday for a third straight session, lifted by surging wholesale beef prices and optimism that coronavirus vaccines could trigger an economic recovery, bolstering demand for meat, traders said. Wall Street’s Dow Jones industrial average hit a record high above 30,000 on upbeat COVID-19 vaccine news, […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market incorporates risk discount
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were unchanged; however, calves weighing 550 to 800 lbs. traded $3-$5 lower. The market for calves under 550 lbs. traded $5 lower to $3 higher. Early in the week, prices were showing some strength in the lighter weight categories but buying enthusiasm waned from Wednesday through Friday. […] Read more
Atlantic bubble disintegrates as COVID-19 cases rise
Toronto | Reuters — The “bubble” pact between Canada’s four Atlantic provinces has disintegrated in the face of rising COVID-19 cases across the country, as premiers in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador announced quarantine requirements for all travelers from outside their provinces on Monday. The two provinces joined in a so-called “bubble” with […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
