Local, Regional, Canadian News
March Member Profile – Martin and Katie Verhulst HERE
P.E.I. working hard to keep new disease away
Dickeya has been present for several years in Europe and has now been found in Ontario and several American states. The general manager of the PEI Potato Board said there is no sign of the disease in PEI and industry representatives are working hard to keep it that way. MORE
FCC donates $50,000
Farm Credit Canada is donating $50,000 to eight minority-language groups this year, continuing donations that began 10 years ago. MORE
2017 Maritime Beef Council Annual Conference
Date: March 17-18, 2017
Location: Best Western Glengarry Motel, Truro, Nova Scotia
Women in Agriculture Recognition Award
The provincial board of PEI Women’s Institute is now accepting nominations for the Women in Agriculture Recognition Award. This award, in the form of a plaque and framed photo posted at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, is presented bi-annually to recognize an Island woman making a major contribution to the PEI agriculture industry within the last five years. Members of the community or fellow farmers are encouraged to contact their local branches to nominate women in the agriculture industry for this award. March 31 marks the deadline for this and other scholarships and awards. A complete list of PEIWI awards and scholarships are available at www.peiwi.ca or by contacting the WI Office at 902-368-4860 or wi@gov.pe.ca. MORE
Federation of Agriculture ‘Path of Profit’ Learning & Development Series
The Federation of Agriculture is excited to announce an exclusive offer to our members.
The ‘Path of Profit’ Series is a Learning Program of various Professional Development courses available to employees of any of our members. The courses are designed to improve overall business competitiveness and profitability while also upgrading staff skills. The courses are classroom based for 1-3 days depending on the course and will be delivered at our boardroom
In March /April. Dates will be confirmed ASAP.
- Succession Planning
- Tax & Financial Planning
- Professional Leadership for Managers / Supervisors / Lead Hands
- Computer Skills Upgrade – Office / Word / Excel
- Stress Management / Time Management
Seats will be on a first come first serve basis.
For further information and to sign up, please contact the office at 902-368-7289 or email Jennifer Murphy at jmurphy@peifa.ca or Robert Godfrey at rgodfrey@peifa.ca.
The Vernor River Watershed Group and PEIFA to host upcoming Watershed farmers meeting
Date/Time: Monday March 6 at 7 pm
Location: St.Joachim,s parish hall, Vernon River
Speaker – John Phillips will discuss land stabilization , organic matter etc, with a round table discussion!
Speaker two to be announced all welcome!
Speaker 2 is Dr. Christine Noronha, life with the Colorado potato after Admire
Institute of Canada (AIC) is hosting a national conference titled “Agriculture Innovation in a changing environment”
Addressing the topic of climate change and agriculture.
April 24-26, 2017 in Winnipeg, MB MORE
Livestock
Livestock Groups Commend President on Repealing Waters of the US Rule
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applaud an executive order issued by President Trump that begins the process of rescinding or rewriting a controversial Clean Water Act regulation that would have given the government broad jurisdiction over land and water. MORE
CME live cattle end mostly firm
Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed firmer on Wednesday, after investors sold April futures and simultaneously bought deferred months. MORE
Latin American Retail Promotion Team Offered Fresh Ideas for US Beef, Pork
Providing customers with new ideas for merchandising US pork and beef, USMEF hosted a team of retail buyers from Central America, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean for a “gate to plate” tour of red meat production in Texas. MORE
Mozambique Vaccinates Cattle Against FMD
Dr Américo Da Conceicao, who works for Mozambique’s veterinary authorities, has vaccinated cattle to prevent further outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) from occurring. MORE
Paratuberculosis Outbreak Reported in Liechtenstein
The Liechtenstein veterinary authorities have reported an outbreak of paratuberculosis, which is also commonly referred to as Johne’s disease. MORE
Indonesian Ag Ministry Earmarks Funds to Boost Livestock Numbers
The Agriculture Ministry has allocated Rp1.1 trillion (US$82.47 million) of its budget to increase the country’s livestock population through a special artificial insemination programme (Upsus SIWAB), which breeders will get assistance to improve livestock reproduction. MORE
Farmer appeals raw milk ban
Michael Ilgert, who markets raw milk from his dairy farm near Golden Lake near the Eastern side of Algonquin Park, presented his case to the Ontario Health Services Appeal and Review Board this week. MORE
Retail Promotion Team Gets Fresh Ideas for US Beef, Pork in Latin America
Providing customers with new ideas for merchandising US pork and beef, USMEF hosted a team of retail buyers from Central America, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean for a “gate to plate” tour of red meat production in Texas. MORE
USA Hog Market Report
I don’t think I can recall this ever happening, but February hogs went off the board at $75 and change. Then, April became the lead month at a $5.00 discount, writes Allan Bentley. MORE
Slight Pullback in Hog Futures
Hog futures have pulled back a bit in the last few trading sessions as market participants focus both on short term cash price considerations and the potential for pork demand going into the spring and summer, according to the Steiner Consulting Group, DLR Division, Inc. MORE
Livestock Groups Applaud President for Repealing Waters of the US Rule
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applaud an executive order issued by President Trump that begins the process of rescinding or rewriting a controversial Clean Water Act regulation that would have given the government broad jurisdiction over land and water. MORE
Unique Structure of ASF Virus Enzyme May Allow Drug Development
A DNA-copying protein from a lethal pig virus has a unique structure that may offer a target for drugs designed to combat this important agricultural disease, according to a study published 28 February in the open-access journal ‘PLOS Biology’ by Yiqing Chen and colleagues at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. MORE
FA Welcomes Increase in Pig Prices
Chairman of the IFA Pigs Committee Tom Hogan welcomed the increase in pig prices last Friday, when most processors increased quotes for the current week by 4c/kg. MORE
WHO says bird flu outbreaks raise alarm
The risk of sustained human-to-human transmission of H7N9 avian flu in China is low, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, but a surge in human cases there is worrying and requires constant monitoring. MORE
Atlantic Stockyards Market Report – February 23 Regular and Feeder Sale – HERE
*Scroll down to find current report
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Market Report – Tuesday, March 1 HERE
Potatoes
U.S. approves 3 types of genetically engineered potatoes
Three types of potatoes genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat, federal officials have announced. MORE
“Futures market for potatoes not balanced with effective market”
There is an enormous amount of tension on the potato market. “I have been working in this field for quite a number of years by now, but I cannot figure this season out. Take, for example, the futures market, it has dropped from 25 to 20 cent, but the effective market is subsequently not dropping along with it. You cannot sell even one kilogram for that price, because cultivators are convinced prices will recover,” says Joop Bonnet from potato wholesaler’s AC Loogman. MORE
LACK OF SEED POTATOES MAY REDUCE AREA GROWTH IN NORTHWESTERN EUROPE
A lack of seed potatoes might reduce the growth of next year’s potato area for processing potatoes and contracts. According to the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG), the expected growth of next year’s potato area might be less than previously estimated. MORE
Understanding Wisconsin Water Issues
An adequate supply of water is important to the success of pretty much every agricultural enterprise, but it is critical for potato and vegetable growers, many of whom regularly need to irrigate their crops. MORE
Montague and Whitehall School Meals Include Locally Grown Potatoes
While many schools serve French fries and tater-tots from bag, Montague and Whitehall School districts in Muskegon County, Michigan decided they wanted to do something different. Food service director, Dan Gorman, who is widely recognized as a state leader in farm-to-school work, decided it was time to work on sourcing some of the school’s potatoes from a local Michigan farm. MORE
IN DIRE STRAITS, INDIA’S FARMERS DUMP POTATOES ON ROADS
Farmers in India’s Doaba region, under the banner of Bharti Kissan Union (BKU), dumped their potato produce on the roads of Kartarpur Tuesday, causing a traffic jam on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway. MORE
AAFC / InfoHort Potato Reports HERE
USDA – Daily National Potato and Onion Report HERE
Crops
North American Grains/Oilseed Review: Canola Keeps Climbing With US Soy
THE ICE Futures Canada canola market continued to climb higher on Wednesday, taking strength from the rising US soy complex. MORE
ICE Futures Canada Friday: Canola futures prices mostly higher, barley unchanged HERE
Grain Commission seeks farmer input on surplus funds
The Canadian Grain Commission is looking for grain growers’ input on how best to draw down a surplus built mainly from the user fees paid into its revolving fund — and on a new formula for future user fees. MORE
Canola rises amid biofuel uncertainty
ICE Futures Canada canola contracts recorded substantial gains during the week ended Wednesday, on speculation the Trump administration would alter biofuel regulations in the U.S., which sparked a flurry of buying. MORE
Traders look for fire behind the smoke
Rumoured changes to U.S. renewable fuels policy gave corn and soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade a boost this week — but it will likely take confirmed fundamental news for the advances to be sustained. MORE
India considering reinstating wheat import tax
India could impose a 25 per cent import tax on wheat by the middle of March, two government sources said on Wednesday, reinstating the tariff after a gap of nearly three months in response to recent large purchases from overseas. MORE
Wheat ends up three per cent
U.S. wheat futures climbed about three per cent on Wednesday on a mix of technical buying and enthusiasm over a larger-than-expected wheat purchase by top global importer Egypt a day earlier, traders said. MORE
Huge U.S. corn exports face hurdles: Braun
The United States appears well on its way to exporting the largest volume of corn in nine years, but there will be some hurdles to overcome in order to meet the full expectation for the season. MORE
AM markets: March came in like a lion. Will it keep roaring? HERE
PEI Grain Elevator Prices – HERE
Grain Farmers of Ontario – Daily Commodity Report HERE
More Futures Prices HERE and HERE
General Interest
Succession shocker
The percentage of farm families with a succession plan is going down. That’s right —DOWN! — even though those same families still see succession planning as crucial to success MORE
Building a capital plan
The 10-year capital acquisition plan they’ve created for their farm gives the Semeniuks a decision-making boost, plus more resilience MORE
“Post-Organic” Produce Uses 95-Percent Less Water Than Traditional Farming
A newly launched modern farming company, Bowery, is growing what they call the world’s first “post-organic” produce. Their concept breaks from traditional agricultural practices by growing plants indoors in vertical rows without any pesticides. MORE
New tool for managing nutrient run-off
Free downloadable tool for assessing phosphorus run-off risk and creating a customized mitigation plan will be available this spring MORE
Regular Updates
Weekly PEI Agriculture Market Reports – February 24 HERE
Rayglen Market Comments – March 1 HERE
Ontario Farm Market Summary – Wednesday, March 1 HERE
AgWeather Atlantic HERE
Today’s Local Weather – HERE
Meetings and Events
The Vernor River Watershed Group and PEIFA to host upcoming Watershed farmers meeting
Date/Time: Monday March 6 at 7 pm
Location: St.Joachim,s parish hall, Vernon River
Speaker – John Phillips will discuss land stabilization , organic matter etc, with a round table discussion!
Speaker two to be announced all welcome!
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
2017 Maritime Beef Council Annual Conference
Date: March 17-18, 2017
Location: Best Western Glengarry Motel, Truro, Nova Scotia
The Prince Edward Island Institute of Agrologists offer two awards annually to individuals whose achievements and service to Agriculture in Prince Edward Island have been outstanding.
To nominate an individual for the Recognition Award or Outstanding Agrologist Award please click HERE
Nominations to be submitted to lmurphy@pei.sympatico.ca by March 20, 2017
Women in Agriculture Recognition Award
The provincial board of PEI Women’s Institute is now accepting nominations for the Women in Agriculture Recognition Award. This award, in the form of a plaque and framed photo posted at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, is presented bi-annually to recognize an Island woman making a major contribution to the PEI agriculture industry within the last five years. Members of the community or fellow farmers are encouraged to contact their local branches to nominate women in the agriculture industry for this award. March 31 marks the deadline for this and other scholarships and awards. A complete list of PEIWI awards and scholarships are available at www.peiwi.ca or by contacting the WI Office at 902-368-4860 or wi@gov.pe.ca. MORE
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:
March 14, 2017 Rodd Royalty, TCH Charlottetown
Day B:
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
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.
