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
P.E.I. lowers age for truck-driving licence
New amendments to P.E.I.’s Highway Traffic Act would permit an 18-year-old in the last stages of their graduated driver’s licence to receive a Class 3 license to operate a heavy truck. MORE
Agriculture union donates hundreds of pounds of beef to P.E.I. food banks
Federal agriculture union members donated hundreds of pounds of beef to P.E.I. food banks after purchasing a 1,200-pound heifer at the Easter Beef sale in March. MORE
FARM SUCCESSION SKIPS A GENERATION
Knowing an opportunity when you see it is key to building a successful business, say two Prince Edward Island brothers. So are preparation and confidence in your skills. MORE
Macphail Woods hosting workshop on proper pruning of trees and shrubs
The Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project is holding a workshop on pruning trees and shrubs this Saturday at the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead in Orwell. MORE
Organic industry pushes back on regulatory changes
A spokesperson with Canadian Organic Growers (COG) says the organic industry is confident it’s made a strong case against having its rules shifted into a larger regulatory framework. MORE
Food fraud a challenge to whole food supply chain
Farmers are used to the conversation about how to manage trust with consumers. Food companies are learning it too, and finding food fraud to be a significant concern. MORE
Canadian dairy history book celebrates Canada 150
With Canada’s 150th birthday just around the corner, dairy farmers across the country are sharing their stories in a new book. MORE
Value shifts away from protein
Canadians continue to embrace fat in their dairy products, which creates a market imbalance MORE
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries – Job Opportunity
AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS OFFICER
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES
Location: Charlottetown
FULL-TIME CLASSIFIED POSITION – (COMMENCING IMMEDIATELY)
Closing date – May 23, 2017
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is committed to the sustainable development of the agriculture industry on Prince Edward Island. The purpose of this position is to provide a broad range of highly specialized technical services to the staff of the Sustainable Agriculture Section to support the delivery of professional agri-environmental and engineering services that ensure that our natural resources are used in a sustainable manner. This position will also provide key technical support to research that will lead to improved beneficial management practices and assist in the delivery of agri-environmental policy and programs. 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/
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
Ergot continues to cause concerns
Feed manufacturers must sell a safe product, but are under no obligation to test for ergot alkaloids MORE
Cattle fall on profit-taking reversal
U.S. live cattle and feeder cattle futures declined two per cent or more on Tuesday, reversing from earlier gains as traders took profits on concern that surging prices could hurt beef demand, traders and analysts said. MORE
Beef Demand from Domestic, Export Interests on the Upswing
Beef demand from both domestic and export interests has been on the upswing since late last year and cattle feeders have not been shy about exploiting the situation, reports Steiner Consulting Group, DLR Division, Inc. MORE
Govt to Relax Import of ‘Prime Beef Cuts’ for Tourism
With hotel rooms expected to double over the next few years, the Government is looking at reducing the duties on imported prime beef cuts to satisfy the demand from tourists. MORE
Oriental Adventure for Quality British Meat, Says AHDB
Quality meat from Britain will be highlighted in Hong Kong and China this month at the food and hospitality trade shows Hofex and SIAL. MORE
Sonny’s big adventure
Those Wisconsin dairy cows at the centre of another trade kettle now boiling between the United States and Canada, a friend suggests, aren’t really black and white Holsteins. MORE
Supply Management – A Canadian’s Perspective
In light of the recent decision by Grassland Dairy Products to drop 75 of their producers and President Trump’s recent remarks regarding dairy trade between Canada and the United States, many interesting discussions have taken place between farmers in our two countries. MORE
Adoption of Technology Key to Maintaining Competitive Positioning
The CEO of the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement says the adoption of new technology will be key for Canada’s pork industry to remain competitive while meeting new challenges facing the industry MORE
Report on International Market Access Pleases Pork Council
The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry released its report on international market access for the agriculture and agri-food sector yesterday. MORE
More PED cases turn up in southeastern Manitoba
A hog finisher operation and a sow operation in Manitoba’s southeastern “hog alley” have been confirmed with cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), both within close range of the province’s first case in over seven months. MORE
Proposed changes fuel return of advocacy group
Proposed changes to manure management in the province have revived the dormant activist group. MORE
Pork’s Six-Year Growth Fastest in Foodservice
Pork has been the fastest-growing protein in foodservice since 2011, according to Technomic, Inc.’s 2017 Volumetric Assessment of Pork in Foodservice. MORE
Danish Pig Breeding Herd Moving Up
The number of sows in Denmark is increasing again, according to data from the 1 April pig survey, writes Leo Colby, AHDB Consultant. MORE
Atlantic Stockyards Market Report – May 4 – HERE
*Scroll down to find current report
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Market Report – Tuesday, May 9 HERE
Potatoes
STRAIN TRACKING
Information on shifting late blight strains is helping to control this devastating disease. MORE
Spuds may be NAFTA target
The U.S. National Potato Council is calling for action in any upcoming NAFTA renegotiations. MORE
Potandon Produce now shipping fresh potatoes from Arizona
Potandon Produce L.L.C., the exclusive marketing agent for Pinto Creek Co., LLC in Eloy, Arizona, announced that its fresh potato season has begun in Arizona. MORE
New potatoes: defying the weather with fleece and irrigation
Soon the new potato season will begin in Lower Saxony. On the Holste farm in Martfelt (Diepholz district) the harvest of delicious potatoes has already begun. MORE
From test tube to plate, UW–Madison program keeps potatoes clean
Years before that french fry landed on your plate, the plant that would eventually give rise to the spud your fry was cut from was sealed away deep in a secure-access building, growing slowly in a test tube inside a locked growth chamber. MORE
FDA to Fund GMO Campaign
The federal budget deal that was passed last week included $3 million in funding for a new FDA campaign to provide “consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology,” including information about GMOs. MORE
Is there a future for potato farming in the traditional potato patch of Victoria?
For almost 50 years, Bernie White has grown potatoes in the rich, red, volcanic soil of Trentham, Victoria, Australia MORE
Valencian potatoes and onions threatened by imports
Valencian growers devoted to the cultivation of onions in regions like L’Horta or Camp de Túria are currently suffering a price crisis that is turning the present campaign into a true ruin for their economies. MORE
“In ’76 we were paying the farmer twice as much”
The potato market is still expensive. “The Belgapom price rose to 250 Euro this week, but there isn’t a lot of trade. MORE
AAFC / InfoHort Potato Reports HERE
USDA – Daily National Potato and Onion Report HERE
Crops
North American Grain/Oilseed Review: Canola follows soybeans higher
ICE Futures Canada canola contracts were stronger on Tuesday, as gains in soybeans at the Chicago Board of Trade provided spillover support. MORE
ICE Futures Canada Tuesday: Canola futures prices higher, barley unchanged HERE
India keeps Canadian lentil market at standstill
Lentil prices are largely stagnant, one market participant says, as key buyer India sits on the sidelines. MORE
How’s the crop?
It’s become a predictable pattern. Statistics Canada releases a crop estimate. Reporters call traders and analysts for reaction, who inevitably say it’s either too high or too low. MORE
The next big disruption in agriculture
In the business world, there’s a term to describe an event that completely changes an existing industry or market. It’s called a disruptor, and it changes how we think, work, and do business. MORE
Soy up ahead of USDA data
U.S. soybean futures climbed nearly one per cent on Tuesday, halting a three-session slide, as traders adjusted positions a day ahead of a U.S. government crop report and as excessively wet weather in the Midwest raised concerns, analysts said. MORE
Barley genome fully mapped
Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München, a German research centre, have published the closest look yet at the barley genome. MORE
AM markets: grain markets freeze, as Wasde juggernaut looms HERE
PEI Grain Elevator Prices – HERE
Grain Farmers of Ontario – Daily Commodity Report HERE
More Futures Prices HERE and HERE
General Interest
NEW LASER SCANNER TO ZAP TOXIC FRENCH FRIES
Amid growing concern about the discovery of cancer-causing chemicals in potato chips and french fries, a young scientist at the University of Brussels has developed a new laser system that scans peeled potatoes in the factory to detect toxic compounds and prevent them from reaching the consumer. MORE
Bayer to Sell Liberty Brands
In order to win antitrust approval for its $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer said yesterday it has agreed to sell its Liberty-branded agro-chemicals and Liberty Link trait technology. MORE
FAO Food Price Index Dips Again in April
Global food commodity prices fell in April amid expectations of ongoing robust supplies of many key staples. MORE
Federal Budget ‘Keeps the Faith’ on Agriculture Commitments
The Federal Budget has “kept the faith” and delivered on the Coalition’s election commitments to advance agriculture, but Queensland farmers are eager for more details about what is planned for water infrastructure in the Great Artesian Basin and a new Regional Growth Fund. MORE
Regular Updates
Rayglen Market Comments – May 3 HERE
Weekly PEI Agriculture Market Reports – May 5 HERE
Ontario Farm Market Summary – Tuesday, May 9 HERE
AgWeather Atlantic HERE
Today’s Local Weather – HERE
Meetings and Events
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
