In partnership with PEI Agromart and Island Lime, the PEI Federation of Agriculture is pleased to offer a scholarship of $2,000 for the 2017/18 academic year.
Application deadline is June 1, 2017. Click here for the application form.
Local, Regional, Canadian News
May Member Profile – Chris Downey HERE
‘I feel lighter today’: Old Home Week to go ahead in 2017
Old Home Week will go ahead this year, according to the event’s general manager. MORE
Winning workplace safety video focuses on the farm
The winner of this year’s Workers Compensation Board of P.E.I. High School Video Contest highlights the dangers of working when you are tired, especially on the farm. MORE
**Islanders can cast their vote to make the Morell students’ video the “Fan Favourite” in the National contest at http://www.ccohs.ca/youngworkers/video_contest.html .
Voting will be open between April 29th and May 5th. The winner will be announced online the week of May 8th, and will receive an additional $1,000 cash prize.
This video contest is part of a national initiative to promote safety and rights for young workers. The Prince Edward Island contest is sponsored by CCOHS in partnership with the Workers Compensation Board.
The video is also available on the WCB website at http://www.wcb.pe.ca/workplace/contest.
Minister MacAulay Promotes Agricultural Trade at Opening of SIAL Canada 2017
The Government of Canada is supporting innovation in agriculture to capitalize on growth opportunities and create jobs for Canadians. Budget 2017 sets the ambitious goal of growing Canada’s agri-food exports to $75 billion annually by 2025. MORE
The Conroy family – Finding New Life on a Historical Farm
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is proud to present the book Dairy Farmers, Deeply Rooted for a Strong Future, which features, representing New Brunswick, the Conroy family of Dixon Valleyview Farms in Hoyt, New Brunswick. MORE
Trump protectionism has EU looking to Canada, says agriculture minister
The protectionist approach of U.S. President Donald Trump means European companies are looking to “exploit” new opportunities in Canada, the European Union’s agriculture minister says. MORE
Farm Credit Canada – Job Opportunity
Passion for agriculture required
Manage relationships with local producers and be responsible for a developing loan portfolio. You’ll tailor financing packages to meet your customers’ needs, including both lending and non-lending products, and help them build success.
Job Title: Relationship Manager
Location: Charlottetown, PE
Closing date: May 19, 2017
Language required: English
Term: Permanent
Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative
The Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative has been approved for a 2 year period. Applications will be accepted starting April 26, 2017.
The program is designed to hire youth aged 15 to 30 for internships of up to 12 months. It will be of interest to producers and organizations working in the agriculture industry and interested in implementing agriculture projects that are environmentally beneficial.
Producers operating a farm or ranch can hire a young person to implement an environmentally beneficial project in their operation.
Agricultural organizations, such as watershed groups and companies providing environmentally beneficial services can access the program to support an environmentally beneficial project their organization is implementing. Research organizations can receive funding to support their agricultural research that benefits the environment.
For an application form and more details on the program, please visit: Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative
Environmental Farm Plan Renewals
The Enhanced Environmental Farm Plan Program sent out renewal letters in early 2017 to notify producers that their environmental farms plans would be expiring at the end of the year. If you are a producer who has not yet contacted the office to have your plan updated please call Matt or JoAnn at 902-368-7289.
EFP’s are valid for 5 years and we encourage all farmers to participate in the program. Participation in the program also allows you to apply for funding through the Growing Forward 2 Agriculture Stewardship Program, Farmland Finance Program and the Future Farmer Program. For your convenience the EFP can be completed at your farm or at the PEI Federation of Agricultural office and takes approximately 1.5 hrs to complete. EFP’s are no cost to the producer.
If you feel your EFP may be expired and you have not yet been contacted please call the office and we will check the status of your last plan. Further information on the Enhanced Environmental Farm Plan Program can be found on the PEI Federation of Agriculture webpage www.peifa.ca/efp/
Spring Management Workshop
Cameron Menzies from The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture will be putting on a spring management beekeeping workshop for PEI beekeepers in May. The morning of the workshop will be an indoor lecture on spring hive management and preparing for summer management. The afternoon portion of the workshop will be a field portion where participants are invited to the apiary of a local beekeeper to visualize some spring management in action. The workshop will be held twice at two different locations in the province.
The dates and locations of the workshops are:
Friday May 5th, 9:00 AM at The Farm Centre, 420 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE
Saturday May 6th, 9:00 AM at The Riverhouse Inn and Cottages, 33 Brook St, Montague, PE
Both workshops will be free for participants. Lunch will not be provided and participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Time will be allotted for a lunch break mid-day. Participants who are serious about beekeeping and already have operating hives are most encouraged to attend.
RSVP: Cameron Menzies – Cell: 902-957-3427 – Email: cmenzies@perennia.ca
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL TO:
Develop a process and identify suitable metrics to ultimately deliver a data set which definitively describes the economic, environmental and social effects of a robust organic agriculture industry on Prince Edward Island; link to detailed project description.
Please direct any inquiries to: Karen Murchison, PEI COPC Research Coordinator
email@organicpei.com or 902-894-9999
Livestock
Livestock industries eye growth with provincial strategy
As details of the provincial livestock growth strategy begin to trickle out, the industry says it likes what it sees. MORE
Live cattle end higher, but off session tops
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher Tuesday on fund buying, short-covering and solid beef demand that briefly lifted the June contract to its three-cent daily price limit, said traders. MORE
Irish Cattle Heading to Libya to Bolster Beef Market
Some 1,850 Irish cattle are being imported into Libya this month. The deal is with Supreme Livestock, an Irish company with a strong reputation for cattle exports in the MENA region, the Irish Independent reported. MORE
High Fibre Diets Offer Reduced Costs, Health Benefits
A researcher with the Prairie Swine Centre says, by using strategies to improve the digestibility of fibre, pork producers can mitigate the negative aspects of ration formulations containing high levels of fibre while maximizing the beneficial effects MORE
2017 Not Normal in Terms of Price Seasonality in Hog, Wholesale Pork Markets
In yesterday’s Daily Livestock Report we briefly mentioned that in the hog markets both cash and futures market prices showed at least some signs of trying to stabilize last week, says Steiner Consulting Group, DLR Division, Inc. MORE
Atlantic Stockyards Market Report – April 27 – HERE
*Scroll down to find current report
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Market Report – Tuesday, May 2 HERE
Potatoes
POTATO SCOUTS IPM TRAINING SESSION
The Ontario Potato Board is hosting the 2017 Potato Scouts IPM Training Session on Tuesday, May 30. MORE
Merits of Irrigation Monitoring
The growing season is upon us, and of course, there are a large number of tasks that must be done to ensure a successful year. MORE
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STARTING TO SOLVE SEEDING DEPTH CHALLENGES
Planting potatoes at a consistent depth is an important factor in achieving uniform crop emergence. Uniform emergence leads to improved crop input efficacy throughout the season and more consistent crop maturity at harvest. MORE
PRE-PLANTING CARE OF SEED POTATOES CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Storing and prepping seed potatoes well is a vital investment in the success of your coming year’s crop. MORE
UMaine to Host Potato Disease Summit
Two bacteria threatening the potato industry worldwide will be the focus of a Potato Disease Summit Nov. 9 in Bangor, Maine, convened by the University of Maine. MORE
3.6% increase in potato area in North West Europe estimated
The first potato area estimate from the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) region suggests a possible increase of 3.6% compared with last season. MORE
West Australian potato farmers prepare to leave industry because of psyllid outbreak
Alan Parker looked out onto the farm business he had spent his entire life establishing. The West Australian seed potato grower will know in the next six weeks whether his lifelong career will continue. MORE
The potential of hybrid potato cultivars in East Africa
The Food & Business Knowledge Platform – a knowledge platforms focused on food security initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs – supported a fact-finding mission in East Africa to explore the potential of the usage of hybrid true potato seeds (TPS) for this region, and to identify interested partners from both private and public sectors to support research, development and commercialization of this technology. MORE
AAFC / InfoHort Potato Reports HERE
USDA – Daily National Potato and Onion Report HERE
Crops
North American Grains/Oilseed Review: Canola rises with veg oil
The ICE Futures Canada canola market posted substantial gains on Tuesday, following bullish action in vegetable oil. MORE
ICE Futures Canada Monday: Canola futures prices higher, barley unchanged HERE
Manitoba crop groups officially on merger track
Five Manitoba-based crop producer associations, nearly all of which already work out of the same building, have a memorandum of understanding to work toward forming a single merged grower group. MORE
CBOT wheat futures weaken
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures eased on Tuesday, partially retreating from a sharp rally on some profit-taking, traders said. MORE
New Product: Intact Drift Reduction Agent
Precision Laboratories announces a partnership with Monsanto to include an adjuvant in Roundup Ready PLUS crop management solutions. MORE
Slow start to U.S. corn planting may lead to tug of war with soy
U.S. farmers are off to a slow start on corn plantings and even though it is still very early in the 2017 season, the numbers may already imply that total corn acres could be less than the 89.996 million that the market currently expects. MORE
AM markets: wheat eases, awaiting info on US weather damage HERE
PEI Grain Elevator Prices – HERE
Grain Farmers of Ontario – Daily Commodity Report HERE
More Futures Prices HERE and HERE
General Interest
Weather, ‘economic challenges’ drag on A+W sales
Canadian burger chain A+W cites “poor winter weather” in most regions and “economic challenges” in its Alberta and Saskatchewan markets for flat sales in its first quarter. MORE
The role ahead for women in agriculture
Unless farm women get more power and a bigger share of the farm voice, Krysta Harden believes agriculture will fail its greatest tests, feeding the globe and reconnecting with consumers. Summer, she says, is a time for change MORE
Proposed Dow, DuPont merger gets conditional nod from China
China has conditionally approved the proposed merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont, the country’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday, a step forward for the deal whose closing has been repeatedly delayed by regulatory hurdles. MORE
Regular Updates
Rayglen Market Comments – April 26 HERE
Weekly PEI Agriculture Market Reports – April 28 HERE
Ontario Farm Market Summary – Monday, May 1 HERE
AgWeather Atlantic HERE
Today’s Local Weather – HERE
Meetings and Events
Spring Management Workshop
Cameron Menzies from The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture will be putting on a spring management beekeeping workshop for PEI beekeepers in May. The morning of the workshop will be an indoor lecture on spring hive management and preparing for summer management. The afternoon portion of the workshop will be a field portion where participants are invited to the apiary of a local beekeeper to visualize some spring management in action. The workshop will be held twice at two different locations in the province.
The dates and locations of the workshops are:
Friday May 5th, 9:00 AM at The Farm Centre, 420 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE
Saturday May 6th, 9:00 AM at The Riverhouse Inn and Cottages, 33 Brook St, Montague, PE
Both workshops will be free for participants. Lunch will not be provided and participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Time will be allotted for a lunch break mid-day. Participants who are serious about beekeeping and already have operating hives are most encouraged to attend.
RSVP: Cameron Menzies – Cell: 902-957-3427 – Email: cmenzies@perennia.ca
Trade Team PEI Business Mission to South Korea
When: May 15, 2017 – May 19, 2017
Where: Seoul, South Korea
Innovation PEI, in partnership with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) are seeking interest from PEI-based enterprises and organizations to participate in a multi-sector Business Mission to South Korea during the week of May 15-19, 2017. MORE
This mission will serve to enhance existing export relationships, provide opportunities for market expansion while at the same time providing an exceptional opportunity to introduce companies to this strong market. Korea is the 13th largest economy in the world and is one of the largest importing countries on the planet. P.E.I.’s exports to Korea in 2016 were almost $15 million and Canadian products/suppliers are much sought after for our high quality and reputation to deliver. This mission will be of particular interest to companies in the professional services, ICT, clean tech, education, manufacturing and food sectors. The customization of each delegate’s business development program to advance their mission-week and market objectives will be a core feature of this initiative.
During this week the Seoul Food and Hotel Show will be taking place offering mission participants a chance to see first-hand the breadth of product offering and to gather key market intelligence. While there is a Canada pavilion at this event, P.E.I. will not have a booth at the show for this year. Participants will be able to walk the show. However we will also be exploring this opportunity for future years. For details on the Seoul Hotel and Food Show visit http://www.seoulfoodnhotel.co.kr/
For more information on this mission and to express your interest in participating, please contact either of these mission leads by email or by phone:
Scott Ferris – Innovation PEI scferris@gov.pe.ca or (902) 368-5952 or Jeff Burry – ACOA Jeff.Burry@canada.ca or (902) 314-2197
