Local, Regional, Canadian News
February Member Profile – Joel and Amy Van Gurp – HERE
Membership Survey
The recent 76th Annual General Meeting was a great success on a number of fronts, but as always we would like to improve for next year. Please take a moment to complete this SURVEY to give us feedback, even if you did not attend, we’d like to know why and what might bring you out to the AGM in the future. Thanks! SURVEY
Regina Food Bank launches greenhouse to grow fresh food year-round
The Regina Food Bank has a new way to grow fresh vegetables year-round with their new Four Seasons Urban Agriculture Project. MORE
Quebec’s winter trails to remain open as tax reform halted
Snowmobile trails going through farmland owned by members of Quebec’s Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) will remain open as the province hits the brakes on changes to its farmland property tax credit plan. MORE
2ND ANNUAL ATLANTIC YOUNG FARMER TRAINING EVENT
Those who register for both events will receive a 15% discount.
Bridging the Gap: Succession & Transition Planning Workshop for Farm Families!
February 9th and 10th
Glengarry Hotel – Truro, Nova Scotia
Register HERE
Innovate for Value Chain Management
February 10th and 11th
Dalhousie Agricultural Campus – Bible Hill, Nova Scotia
Register HERE
Holistic Farm Life Planning
A two-day intensive for small business owners who are ready to create a vision of the future they want for their life and business.
Rodd Royalty in Charlottetown, PEI, on February 23rd and 24th MORE
See Canada’s top speakers
FCC Forum is your chance to re-energize, get inspired and network with business owners and operators like you. Bring family, friends, business partners – it’s free for anyone in agriculture. Over 7,000 people attended last year, so get your seat early and register today!
Saturday, March 11 – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Moncton , New Brunswick (lunch included) MORE
PEI ALUS Program Reviewing Payment Rates
The Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program is undertaking a review of payment rates paid to Island farmers/landowners. Surveys have been mailed to all ALUS program clients for feedback. In addition, a digital version of the survey has been created. If you are a client of the ALUS program and haven’t completed your survey yet, you can do so by following the link below. The survey will be available online until February 23.
The link can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ALUSclientsurvey3
Livestock
Bovine TB probe’s focus turns to infected herd
With no new cases of bovine tuberculosis discovered on the Prairies since mid-November, federal officials are now turning their focus to how the disease got into half a dozen cattle in the region last fall. MORE
Gay Lea opens doors to Manitoba producers
Manitoba producer named to Gay Lea Foods board as co-operative expands into Manitoba MORE
Australia Ships First Load of Live Beef Cattle to China
The first shipment of live Australian beef cattle to China has left Australian shores after nearly ten years in the making. MORE
Importance of Keeping TB Vaccine Trial Results in Context
Commenting on the results of the field scale trial of badger vaccination against TB in Kilkenny, Bert Stewart IFA Animal Health Chairman said it is important to keep these results in context. MORE
Russia Prohibits Beef Supply from Belarus
Russia banned import of beef and byproducts from Minsk oblast of Belarus starting from today, 6 February, after the renewed tension between two countries. MORE
Sharp Drop in Korea’s Self-sufficiency Rate of Grain, Beef, Seafood
South Korea‘s self-sufficiency rate of grain, beef and seafood sharply fell last year as imported food items appealed to consumer tastes with their lower prices and variety of flavors, according to government data on Sunday. MORE
Beef Another Diplomatic Ball Dropped by National
Within one week, the government has been caught short by Russia moving to ban New Zealand beef and a slow response to some Kiwi dual-citizens entering the United States. MORE
Lagos Clamps Down on Illegal Abattoirs, Cattle Markets
In a renewed effort to stem the tide of illegal operations, prevent the sale of unwholesome meat and improve hygiene conditions in abattoirs in Lagos State, no fewer than 24 butchers and cattle marketers have been arrested for offences bordering on illegal operations in a weekend clampdown carried out against illegal abattoirs, slaughter slabs and cattle markets by the state government. MORE
Pork Industry Competitiveness and Sustainability Top Research Priorities
The Chair of Swine Innovation Porc says improving the global competitiveness of the Canadian pork industry while ensuring continued environmental sustainability is a top priority of Canada’s Swine Cluster Research Program, writes Bruce Cochrane. MORE
Hog market improving with solid exports
Strong U.S. exports and declining cold-storage numbers have helped push hog prices on Canada’s Prairies to better levels than a few months back. MORE
Rice Bran in Weanling Pig Diets Does Not Reduce Growth Performance
Research at the University of Illinois has demonstrated that adding rice bran to weanling pig diets does not have a detrimental effect on growth performance. MORE
Pig Prices Must Rise for All Irish Producers, says IFA
Chairman of IFA Pigs Committee, Tom Hogan has said farmers are expecting the pig price to increase substantially over the coming days. MORE
Red Tractor Shows Leadership with e-Medicine Book Requirement
Red Tractor pig producers will be required to use the electronic medicine book (e-MB) to record the total collated antibiotics they administer to their herds every three months. MORE
AHDB Webinar to Focus on Meat Sectors’ Preparation to Quit EU
The outlook for the English beef, lamb and pork sectors as the UK prepares to quit the EU will be the focus of an AHDB webinar this month. MORE
Atlantic Stockyards Market Report – February 2 – HERE
*Scroll down to find current report
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Market Report – Friday, February 3 HERE
Potatoes
Canadian potato industry on the upswing
A weaker loonie and promotion of potatoes prepared in more healthy ways are improving prospects for growers and processors MORE
FROM THE FLOOR – MANITOBA POTATO PRODUCTION DAYS 2017 – GREENTRONICS
Manitoba Potato Production Days – January 24, 25 & 26th 2017 MORE
Idaho/East Ore. Committee Reps to Be Selected
Nominations for handler positions in District 2 of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Potato Committee will be held at 3 p.m. on March 23, 2017, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Idaho Falls, Idaho in conjunction with the Idaho Grower Shippers Association board meeting. MORE
Bushmans’ Potato Program Faring Well
With supplies running short, some Wisconsin red potato shippers approached mid-January filling orders with potatoes purchased from elsewhere. MORE
Proposal to End Potato Tax Faces Scrutiny
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts backed away Wednesday from a proposal to repeal Nebraska’s potato tax. The governor’s response came after his bill got hashed, mashed and julienned by the very people who make a living growing potatoes. MORE
Mixed Results for Red Potato Market
“For the growers that had potatoes, it will be a decent year,” says Paul Dolan, the manager of Associated Potato Growers, Inc., a potato-packing co-op in the Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota MORE
Scottish Potato Seed Contributed to Genebank
A global seed vault designed to protect resources from future environmental catastrophes has received the first genetic potato material from the UK. MORE
Growing out of poverty with potato
The cliché of Asian agriculture is endless fields with rice. But there is literally and figuratively speaking room for the potato. MORE
Australian potato shortage ends thanks to strong potato crops
Australia may be out of the woods as far as potato production goes. After a difficult year in 2016, filled with floods and storms that caused widespread potato shortages, the industry was in need of a break. MORE
AAFC / InfoHort Potato Reports HERE
USDA – Daily National Potato and Onion Report HERE
Crops
North American Grain/Oilseed Review: Canola weakens with soyoil
ICE Futures Canada canola contracts posted small losses to end the week, as traders booked profits on the recent gains. MORE
ICE Futures Canada Friday: Canola futures prices lower, barley unchanged
Lack of meal capacity could be costing canola growers
Insufficient export capacity is costing western Canadian canola growers money in lost canola meal sales and farmers should be complaining loudly, says Thomas Mielke. MORE
Durum acres to decline in 2017
Canadian farmers are sitting on large stocks of poor-quality durum, which should cut into acres seeded to the crop this spring. MORE
StatsCan canola stocks in line with expectations
Canadian canola stocks may be tighter than a year ago and wheat stocks larger — but the updated numbers from Statistics Canada may also need more asterisks than normal. MORE
Corn yields still on the rise
Check out the numbers when you use interpolated data to even out our year-by-year weather swings MORE
Soy falls as Brazil crop forecasts grow
U.S. soybean futures fell one per cent on Friday, pressured by expectations for a huge crop in Brazil, the world’s top exporter of the oilseed, traders said. MORE
AM markets: Argentina, China help soy open firm in big week HERE
PEI Grain Elevator Prices – HERE
Grain Farmers of Ontario – Daily Commodity Report HERE
More Futures Prices HERE and HERE
General Interest
Municipalities want action on night hunting
Landowners say night hunting has become a dangerous and growing problem in rural Manitoba MORE
Mexico exports no longer just avocados, tequila
If the United States imposes a border tax on Mexican imports, it’s not just tequila, beer and avocados that would jump in price. MORE
Regular Updates
Rayglen Market Comments – February 1 HERE
CFA in Action – February 2 HERE
FCC Express – February 3 HERE
Ontario Farm Market Summary – Friday, February 3 HERE
AgWeather Atlantic HERE
Today’s Local Weather – HERE
Meetings and Events
In-Person Consumer Consultations on Food Labelling Modernization
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada want to hear from everyday consumers like you.
We are holding in-person discussions to get your perspective on proposals to modernize food labelling in Canada and would like to talk about:
- Labelling information that is important to you
- Proposed improvements to food label information and legibility, and;
- Enhancements to the ways consumers get information on label claims or statements
There is no cost to register. Participants are expected to cover their own travel costs to attend. Prior knowledge of food labelling is not required.
In-person consumer sessions will be held in the following cities:
Atlantic Provinces
- St-John’s, NL February 3, 2017 9:00 am – 12:00 pm (English)
2ND ANNUAL ATLANTIC YOUNG FARMER TRAINING EVENT
Those who register for both events will receive a 15% discount.
Bridging the Gap: Succession & Transition Planning Workshop for Farm Families!
February 9th and 10th
Glengarry Hotel – Truro, Nova Scotia
Register HERE
Innovate for Value Chain Management
February 10th and 11th
Dalhousie Agricultural Campus – Bible Hill, Nova Scotia
Register HERE
Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Training
Fertilizer Canada’s Nutrient Stewardship training courses help you understand the economic, social, and environmental advantages of 4R practices and how these can be implemented on Canadian farms.
-Free Training
-Participants will receive certification after course completion
-Lunch Provided
**Note: Only the first 30 participants to RSVP will be accepted
-Please send your RSVP to: nfrost@fertilizercanada.ca or call (613)-786-3032
February 22, 2017 – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Westmorland Room, Crowne Plaza 1005 Main St, Moncton, NB
Atlantic Farm Women Conference
April 28 & 29 at the Delta Halifax, N.S.
Register before March 31 registration fee is $90 plus you will be entered to win your conference registration free. After March 31, registration will be $115.
To register: http://atlanticfarmwomen.weebly.com/-registration.html
Agenda on line: http://atlanticfarmwomen.weebly.com/agenda.html
Attention: Class A Pesticide Applicator Certificate Holders
To renew your pesticide applicator certificate there are three options available for you:
First Option: Renewal of your certificate by receiving Continuing Education Credits.
Second Option: Take a one day training course & write the two hour exam.
Third Option: Make an appointment to come in and write the two hour exam.
First Option:
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will be offering two different training days
Day A and Day B. You are required to attend one Day A and one Day B over the five year re-certification period. Only one day per calendar year can be credited.
Day A – Topics covered: General Information, Regulations, Environmental Safety, and Application Technology.
Day B – Topics covered: Emergency Response, Labeling, Professionalism, Traceability, Integrated Pest Management, and Human Health and Safety.
Your current Pesticide Applicator Certificate will remain valid until the expiry date printed on your certificate. New Class A certificates will now all have an expiry date of March 31. The fee payable for a new 5-year certificate is $75.
When you have met the requirements to renew your license, you will be mailed an application form for renewal of your Pesticide Applicator Certificate. Should you fail to attend both of these training sessions prior to the expiry date on your current Certificate, you will need to successfully complete the written examination to obtain a new certificate.
The 2017 training schedule is as follows:
Day A:
February 21, 2017 Lane’s Riverhouse Inn, Montague
March 14, 2017 Rodd Royalty, TCH Charlottetown
Day B:
February 22,2017 Lanes Riverhouse Inn, Montague
March 16, 2017 Rodd Royalty, TCH, Charlottetown
Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. All information sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. and will be completed by 4:00 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and there is a
$ 25. fee to offset this cost.
To register for one of these training days please call (902) 368-4154.
Should you have questions or require additional detail, please do not hesitate to contact Shelley Ployer at (902) 368-4154 or via e-mail at seployer@gov.pe.ca
Second Option:
You can also renew your license by attending a one day training course and writing the exam at the end of the day (there is no cost to attend this course). This training course is designed to refresh your memory and prepare you for writing the exam. It DOES NOT provide you with any certification days. There is no cost to write the exam. The cost for a 5 year Pesticide Applicator Certificate is $75.
The 2017 training schedule for the one day course followed by writing the exam is as follows:
February 22, 2017 Loyalist Inn, Summerside March 15, 2017 Rodd Royalty, TCH, Charlottetown
Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. Training sessions begin at 8:45 a.m. and are completed by 3:30 p.m. The exam will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
To register for one of these training days please call (902) 368-4154.
Third Option:
You can make an appointment to write the two hour exam by calling Debbie MacRae at
(902) 368-5024 or Thane Clarke at (902) 368-5599 at the Department of Communities, Land and Environment in Charlottetown. The cost is the same, $75.
