Chef The Pig Given Three Months To Leave Town Thursday, December 5, 2013 Mayor Hazel McCallion wants Chef, a pot-bellied pig who's been living in Mississauga since August, out of her city. However, in an October council meeting she reluctantly agreed to a three-month reprieve. The Toronto Star reports that police noticed Chef when they responded to a medical emergency at Manfred Vaegler's residence. The pig belongs to Vaegler's friend and was given his name "because all he thinks about is food." Vaegler says Chef is "not much different than a dog" and the neighbours are fond of him. McCallion has less love, telling councillors that "a pig should be on a farm, not in an urban setting." Mississauga's animal control bylaw prohibits keeping farm animals in residential dwellings, but lately there have been petitions to allow for "urban farming" of chickens and other animals. Better Farming is currently preparing a report on this issue. BF Ontario's Aquaculture Industry Comes of Age Fur Sales Have Soared Over The Past Five Years
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