PEIFA Today
Thursday – August 17, 2017
Local, Regional, Canadian News
Recommended Management Practices for Agricultural Irrigation Ponds
Agriculture is the largest contributor of any resource sector to the economy of Prince Edward Island. Rainfall patterns have changed in recent years and in some cases, some farmers are interested in irrigating crops to ensure yield and quality. MORE
Off the vine: Green peppers stolen from Farm Centre Legacy Garden
The Farm Centre had the majority of its green pepper stolen from its Legacy Garden Monday night, according to general manager of the association Phil Ferraro. MORE
‘It’s my yoga, it relaxes me’: Rooftop veggie garden provides salads and serenity
When Mamdouh Elgharib sold his house in a leafy neighbourhood of Charlottetown in 2014, he didn’t want to be a gardener without a garden. MORE
Canadian food inspectors using DNA technology to test health of fruit plants
Canada’s agriculture minister says using DNA-based technology to test the health of fruit plants will grow Canada’s agricultural export sector. MORE
Agricultural leaders demand delicate touch to any potential NAFTA changes
Major agricultural federations are urging NAFTA’s negotiators to skip the continent’s farms and ranches if they’re looking for sectors in need of a makeover. MORE
NAFTA and Agricultural Policy
The presidents of the largest farm and ranch associations in the U.S. MORE
New investments in research to help Manitoba dairy sector
Advances in science and innovation are integral to increasing the overall competitiveness of the agriculture sector and create better opportunities for farmers, businesses, and Canadians. MORE
Parliamentary Secretary Poissant continues regional sessions on A Food Policy for Canada in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
A Food Policy for Canada will set a long-term vision for the country’s health, environmental, social, and economic goals related to food, while also identifying actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve Canada’s food system. MORE
Governments assessing impact of wildfires on British Columbia’s agriculture sector
The governments of Canada and British Columbia (B.C.) are working under the AgriRecovery disaster framework to determine the type of assistance that may be required by British Columbia’s agriculture sector to recover from the impact of wildfires. The announcement was made today following the first meeting between Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham. MORE
Maritime Feedlot School September 15 & 16
The Feedlot School will be held at the Nappan Research Facility in Nappan, NS.
The event takes place on September 15 and 16th, 2017
Registration cost is $100.00 per person plus HST for a total of $115.00 this covers lunch and materials. Please register by Monday, September 11, 2017.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Job Opportunity
POTATO INDUSTRY COORDINATOR
FULL-TIME CLASSIFIED POSITION – Charlottetown, PE
Closing date – Thursday, August 17th at 4:00pm
The purpose of this position is to serve as a coordinator for all potato related programs and activities within the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The Potato Industry Coordinator will also, in cooperation with industry, develop innovative ideas or projects in the potato sector and take action to ensure they are successfully completed. The incumbent will work closely with other departmental staff, producers, industry leaders, agri-processors and other departments or agencies to bring projects to fruition. MORE
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/
Client Satisfaction Survey: Business Risk Management Programs
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in collaboration with provincial partners, has launched an online survey seeking producers’ input on the level of satisfaction with our Business Risk Management (BRM) programs (AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriInsurance, and Advance Payments Program). The survey is intended to be completed by producers who have applied to these programs in recent years and focuses on their experience with them.
Results from this survey will help us understand client expectations and improve BRM program delivery services.
The anonymous survey will be available until July 31, 2017 and will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
To complete the BRM Client Satisfaction Survey, please click here.
Thanks in advance for helping us better serve Canadian producers.
Livestock
CME live cattle give back Tuesday’s gains
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Wednesday reversed some of Tuesday’s advances, led by fund liquidation and expectations for softer prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle this week, traders said. MORE
Can Beef Packers Pay More for Cattle, Still Stay in the Black?
In their latest “Daily Livestock Report” Steiner Consulting Group, DLR Division, Inc. poses the question, “Can beef packers pay a bit more for cattle and still stay in the black?” MORE
IFA President Says Beef Price Cuts Must Stop
IFA President Joe Healy said beef price cuts at the meat factories must stop as they are squeezing out any chance of profit for farmers grazing cattle this year. MORE
Dairy Farmers of Canada in Washington, D.C.
Representatives from Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) are in Washington with their supply managed partners for the beginning of the re-negotiations of the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The dairy sector is not a part of the current edition of the free-trade agreement with the United States and Mexico, and DFC President, Pierre Lampron, hopes the status-quo will remain. MORE
Ag Ministers’ Continued Support Key to Pork Industry Success
The Chair of the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board says the commitment of Canada’s Agriculture Ministers to programmes that support trade will play a key role in the continued success of Canada’s pork industry MORE
Fire claims 4,000 pigs
Fire claimed about 4,000 pigs in a barn in Warwick Township near Watford in Lambton County this week.
The loss will be more than $1 million from the blaze that totally destroyed the barn. MORE
Keep Pork Trade Flowing in Updated NAFTA, Says NPPC
With negotiations set to begin tomorrow, the National Pork Producers Council has repeated its request that a “modernised” North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) maintain the zero-tariff rate on pork traded in North America. MORE
Pig-to-person Spread of Flu at Fairs Cause for Continued Concern
The spread of influenza among pigs is common at fairs and other gatherings, and protective measures including cutting the length of time pigs and people congregate make good sense for both the animals and humans, say the authors of a new study. MORE
UK Pork Exports Drop Below 2016 Levels in June
Following year-on-year growth during the previous month, UK pork exports faltered during June, Bethan Wilkins, AHDB Pork analyst. MORE
Troops to help cull fowl in Philippines’ bird flu battle
The Philippines will deploy hundreds of troops to hasten a cull of about 600,000 fowl, the farm minister said on Wednesday, as part of efforts to rein in the Southeast Asian nation’s first outbreak of bird flu. MORE
Atlantic Stockyards Market Report – August 10 – HERE
*Scroll down to find current report
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Market Report – Wednesday, August 16 HERE
Potatoes
Alberta, Canada safe from bacterium this year
Alberta’s potato industry is worth more than $1 billion but is threatened by a tiny bacterium. This year, however, a Lethbridge scientist reports, it hasn’t shown up. MORE
Potato-bound Polyphenols: A Novel Method for Gut Health?
The ability of polyphenols to bind with different types of potato cells may provide a new means of delivering these healthy organic chemicals to the gut, say researchers. MORE
Potato Industry Leadership Institute applications being accepted
In February of 2018 a group of potato industry professionals will make their way to Colorado, to kick off another class of the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI). The National Potato Council developed this long-running program, to train growers, and show the complete picture of agriculture. The Michigan Potato Industry Commission has funding to send two growers to join the group. MORE
Indian FMCG conglomerate ITC Limited plans launch of (frozen) potato products
As Indian FMCG powerhouse ITC rolls out frozen prawns in select cities in the country, the company has lined up a few more product offerings — potatoes, tomatoes and onions — in the packaged foods category across the frozen, chilled, cool and ambient shelf-life segments. MORE
Handover of International Potato Center – China Center for Asia Pacific (CCAP) to China
The new International Potato Center-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP) facilities were formalized in a handover ceremony in Yanqing, Beijing on July 11th, 2017. MORE
James Hutton Institute Announces GBP3m Collaboration with China
The Chinese Government and leading potato processing company Xisen Potato Group are investing GBP3m in the collaboration with James Hutton Limited (JHL) to breed new varieties and research resistance to pests and diseases, tuber storage and potato processing. MORE
AAFC / InfoHort Potato Reports HERE
USDA – Daily National Potato and Onion Report HERE
Crops
North American Grains/Oilseed Review – Canola falls with soy, technicals
THE ICE Futures Canada canola market ended lower on Monday, tracking losses in the US soy complex. MORE
ICE Futures Canada Wednesday: Canola prices lower, barley higher HERE
Turning friends into targets
Be glad you aren’t the CEO of a major machinery manufacturer in the new era of Donald Trump MORE
Wheat, corn futures ease, soy firms
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures sank to contract lows on Wednesday as ample global supplies provided overseas buyers with cheaper alternatives to U.S. offerings in export deals, traders said. MORE
Corn, soy struggle under heavy supplies
Corn and soybean traders continue to assess the fallout from last week’s world supply and demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. MORE
AM markets: ags revive from USDA shocker amid data doubts HERE
PEI Grain Elevator Prices – HERE
Grain Farmers of Ontario – Daily Commodity Report HERE
More Futures Prices HERE and HERE
General Interest
McCain Embraces Analytics
Roman Coba, the chief information officer of McCain Foods, discusses how MicroStrategy, an enterprise analytics and mobility company, has enabled McCain to completely transform its business—from developing a single enterprise reporting environment, to improving safety on the production line, to helping sales and marketing better understand McCain’s customers and prospects. MORE
U.S. takes tough lines as NAFTA negotiations begin
The United States drew a hard line for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, demanding major concessions aimed at slashing U.S. trade deficits with Mexico and Canada and boosting U.S. content for autos. MORE
JBS still seeks U.S. unit IPO
JBS SA will proceed with plans to list a U.S.-based unit when market conditions allow, as the world’s No. 1 meatpacker wrestles with a shareholder revolt over the role of the controlling Batista family in a massive graft scandal. MORE
Regular Updates
Weekly PEI Agriculture Market Reports – August 11 HERE
Rayglen Market Comments – August 16 HERE
Ontario Farm Market Summary – Wednesday, August 16 HERE
AgWeather Atlantic HERE
Today’s Local Weather – HERE
Meetings and Events
ACORN AGM & Speaker Series
Location: Tweedie Hall, Wallace McCain Centre
Mount Allison University
62 York Street/62 Rue York
Sackville, NB
August 21, 2017 from 1:00-4:00PM/13h00-16h00
BBQ/Potluck to follow at/à suivre 4:30PM/16h30 MORE
5th Palmer Conference (2017)
August 29 to 31, 2017 at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, PEI.
This year’s Conference focuses on Canadian-American Relations, and includes panels on Trade and Commerce, the Environment, and Defense and Security (including food security as well). MORE
3A Airbrakes Test Facilitation
***UPDATE–WE ARE NOW TAKING NAMES FOR OTHER DATES THAT MAYBE OFFERED FOR 3A TRAINING IF INTERESTED PLEASE GET YOUR NAME ON A WAITING LIST FOR THE NEXT TRAINING SESSIONS!! WE MAYBE OFFERING SESSIONS IN JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER***
From field to road…do you have employees that drive your trucks, but don’t have their licenses?
We are looking for experienced drivers that would like to obtain their Airbrakes and Class 3A license.
The PEI Agriculture Sector Council will be facilitating these two courses through JVI and Access.
This project will be processed through the Canada Job Grant and Skills PEI.
Draft Schedule:
Day 1- Airbrake theory
Day 2- Review of Airbrakes and Airbrake test (written on site), Preform a pre-use inspection
Day 3- Driving and Testing for Class 3A (time scheduled test on site)
Day 4- Driving and Testing for Class 3A (time scheduled test on site)
Requirements- must have valid truck driving experience, but not licensed & Medical completed and returned
Lunch will be provided
For more details on registration requirements, contact Laurie at 892-1091.
Registration is now open, limited seating available. To sign up, contact the PEI Agriculture Sector Council at 892-1091 or e-mail info@peiagsc.ca
SAVE THE DATE
PEI Open Farm Day 2017 – Sunday, September 17th
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
Obsolete pesticide & animal health medication collections – November 6 – 17, 2017
Prince Edward Island from November 6 – 17, 2017.
Collection site locations and dates are available HERE.
