Funds for beef technology, research Wednesday, March 9, 2011 by SUSAN MANNBeef farmers, feedlot operators and packing plants will now be able to update their information technology systems thanks to funding from the federal government.At today’s annual meeting of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association in Ottawa, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced $5.3 million in funding to ensure the information systems of industry stakeholders stay compatible with the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS). This system enables producers and processors to transfer animal and carcass data seamlessly.Travis Toews, Canadian Cattlemen’s president, says participation in the program is voluntary. Participating farmers enter their data, such as age verification; feedlots enter their animal health and production data; packers send back grading and yield data. “All that information would be accessible to all the participants in the supply chain.”The $5.3 million in funding for information technology upgrades was part of $8 million in money the federal government announced for the beef sector.A total of $2.5 million is being given for the second phase of the Beef Cluster. The money will be used to build on research already being done by a network of industry, academic and government experts. Research will focus on increasing the competitiveness and profitability of beef producers by reducing production costs, increasing feed efficiency and decreasing the impact of animal health issues.The cattlemen’s association is also getting $364,000 to enhance its Quality Starts Here-Verified Beef Production on-farm food safety program. BF Mossley livestock dealer fined Agriculture-wildlife conflict strategy proposal posted for comments
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