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
Canada Could Add $5.4 Billion by Food Processing in the Country Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Canada could add as much as $5.4 billion to its economy and create roughly 34,000 full-time-equivalent jobs by shifting only 10 per cent of its raw crop exports towards domestic value-added processing, according to a new analysis by EY released by Protein Industries Canada. The... Read this article online
Local Food and Farming Drive Community Growth Tuesday, September 22, 2026 The 12th annual Farm and Food Awareness Week has already begun in Manitoba, held from September 20 to 25. The week provides an opportunity for people to learn more about where their food comes from and appreciate the efforts of farmers, producers, and food workers who help bring safe and... Read this article online
Equipment Technician Demand Reaches New Highs Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Canada's agriculture and construction equipment industry is facing a growing shortage of skilled technicians, according to a new report released by industry organizations the Canada Equipment Dealers Association (CEDF)and the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation (AEDF). The findings... Read this article online
B.C. ag minister won’t seek re-election Tuesday, September 22, 2026 British Columbia’s minister of agriculture won’t run in the next provincial election when the time comes. Lana Popham, the NDP MLA for Saanich South currently in her second tenure as the ag community’s voice in the provincial legislature, made the announcement on Sept. 21. “I am sad to... Read this article online
New herbicide for soybean producers Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Ontario soybean growers will have another tool available to them for the 2027 growing season. BASF launched Zidua Prime herbicide to support burndown and residual weed control applications. The product contains two active ingredients to provide farmers with maximum... Read this article online