Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law Monday, August 5, 2013 In June's Better Pork, we reported that lawmakers voted to make Tennessee the latest state to approve a so-called "ag-gag" law, a bill to make it illegal to record animal cruelty incidents on livestock farms without reporting them to the police right away.Just after we went to press, Tennessee Republican governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill, following the opinion of his Democratic attorney general that it wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge, freedom of speech being nearly as important in that country as freedom to own a gun.According to Meatingplace.com, Haslam also cited concerns that the new law might take away reporters' rights to gather information for stories, and that it might be harder to prosecute legitimate animal cruelty cases "as an unintended consequence."As well, a number of Tennessee celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, among them songwriter Emmylou Harris, country music singer Carrie Underwood and even Priscilla Presley. The Humane Society of the United States sees it as a victory; the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which writes and speaks out against animal rights legislation, is not pleased. BP A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? The battle of the polls over gestation stalls
Tariff tools Thursday, September 10, 2026 As the trade war between Canada and the U.S. continues, keeping track of what is tariffed, at what rate, and how much a tariffed product might cost, could be challenging. Multiple tools and resources are available to help Canadians during these difficult times. CalcWise, for example,... Read this article online
Premier Ford names new ag minister in cabinet shuffle Thursday, September 10, 2026 When the Ontario legislature returns in October, the province’s agriculture industry will have a new voice at Queen’s Park. In a Sept. 10 cabinet shuffle, Premier Ford named Sam Oosterhoff as the new minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness. He takes over for Trevor Jones, who... Read this article online
Canada Trade Tribunal Submits Report on Vegetable Imports and Potential Industry Injury Thursday, September 10, 2026 The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has submitted its report on imports of certain vegetable goods to the Governor in Council following a six-month safeguard inquiry into potential injury to Canadian producers. The Tribunal announced Sept. 9 that the report contains its... Read this article online
New Irrimap tool designed to improve irrigation and crop management Wednesday, September 9, 2026 A new tool is available to help Alberta farmers and trusted ag advisors make better irrigation decisions. The web-based program is called Irrimap and is the result of work at Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Mueller Irrigation Research Group (MIRG) with support from AAFC and the Saskatchewan... Read this article online
New Manitoba-EIT Food Partnership Fuels Agrifood Growth Wednesday, September 9, 2026 The Government of Manitoba and EIT Food have announced a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Manitoba’s agriculture and agrifood innovation ecosystem while supporting sustainable growth and global competitiveness. The collaboration will connect Manitoba’s agricultural... Read this article online