Export and slaughter numbers tell the COOL tale Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Beef slaughter numbers in Western Canada were up a whopping 18 per cent in the last week of January compared to the same week a year before. While slaughter was down in Eastern Canada, the overall change across Canada was still 12.4 per cent. The increase in slaughter numbers is matched by an 18.9 per cent decline in live cattle exports. Market watchers agree that Country-of-Origin Labelling (COOL) in the United States is the reason. Paul Stiles, assistant manager, Ontario Cattlemen's Association, says that Western Canadian plants were working under capacity previously. Operators of the Better Beef plant in Guelph, Eastern Canada's largest, can't get enough cattle to go to a double shift even when they buy from Quebec.The shift away from live slaughter exports is driven by real uncertainty over the COOL Final Rule, which was to take effect Mar. 15, says market watcher Charlie Gracey. President Barack Obama has since put the Final Rule, (an interim version of the law and regulation has been in effect since September) on hold. Gracey says that, before the Final Rule was announced, American packers were discounting Canadian cattle by $16 per hundredweight after dealing with exchange rate differences.Cow and bull exports are up 36 per cent over a year earlier. They get slaughtered in the United States. It's a sign of the dreary outlook for the industry, Gracey says. BF Board cancels dairy production incentive days Swimming in milk, drowning in red ink south of border
Poll Reveals Mixed Public Sentiment on BC Ostrich Cull Decision Thursday, October 2, 2025 Farms.com poll shows divided opinions among Canadian farmers on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull. A recent poll conducted on Farms.com's X account @OntAg aimed to capture Canadian farmers' views on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull in British... Read this article online
New Ontario agrobotics challenge seeking high school submissions Thursday, October 2, 2025 A new competition for Ontario high school students is looking for innovative ways to solve challenges in the ag sector. The AgRobotics Ontario Challenge launched at the end of September. The competition is a collaboration between the Western Fair District, the Ontario Council for... Read this article online
Canada Post Strike Continues to Threatens Agri-Businesses and Rural Communities Thursday, October 2, 2025 The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the federal government to take swift action to end the ongoing Canada Post strike, warning that the disruption is causing serious harm to small businesses – including many in the agriculture sector. “The government’s... Read this article online
Farmland Values Climb Across the Prairies-Manitoba Leads, Ontario Holds Steady Thursday, October 2, 2025 Canadian cultivated farmland values rose by an average of 6.0 per cent in the first half of 2025, according to the mid-year farmland values review by Farm Credit Canada (FCC). This marks a modest acceleration compared to the first half of 2024, which saw a 5.5 per cent increase. Over... Read this article online
Setting Foundations for Higher Yielding Soybeans Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Farmers can achieve higher soybean yields by focusing on strong foundations and careful field management according to Shaun Casteel, Extension Soybean Specialist from Purdue University, who spoke at the in August. He emphasized that no single method guarantees success—each field... Read this article online