Butterball, have you tried beer? Monday, February 3, 2014 A New Hampshire farmer feeds his Thanksgiving turkeys beer to make them "fatter, more flavourful and juicier," according to an Associated Press story. For poultry farmer Joe Morette, the eureka moment occurred one hot July day in 1993 when a turkey knocked over a worker's can of beer and started drinking. Morette has been feeding his flock beer (preferably lager) ever since. While Morette's customers are happy, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is not, saying turkeys shouldn't consume beer. However, the national director of Humane Heartland says, "I consulted with an avian veterinarian who said that, while giving beer to turkeys is not a standard protocol, hops could be beneficial for the intestinal tract." Maybe Butterball should be taking note. At press time, there was still no explanation for a mysterious November shortage of over-16-pound turkeys, which the Associated Press reports cut Butterball's shipments of Thanksgiving turkeys by 50 per cent. BF Farmers behaving badly Red tape strangles Greenbelt farmers
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online