Issues & Insights

By Curtis Galbraith, Everything Grande Prairie A Beaverlodge rancher who sits on the Alberta Beef Producers Board of Directors says feed supplies have been “stretched very thin” after the drought. Mike Nadeau says some ranchers may have to sell their cattle, with some having to ship their entire herd. “In some instances, I think there will…

According to United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Local 401, Cargill union members voted down Cargill’s contract offer by a 98 percent margin this week. “Cargill workers have told their employer through another overwhelming vote that they matter and that they deserve something more,” said UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “We will be…

By Doug Ferguson, for The Western Producer Alberta Beef Producers is facing tough decisions about its future as an advocate for ranchers and farmers because of checkoff refunds. The organization refunds almost half the check-off dollars collected from producers. Alberta Beef Producers funding reaches critical turning point “It’s having a tremendous effect on us,” said chair…

Farmers and ranchers in British Columbia are dealing with the devastation of flooding and mudslides that are causing feed and milk transportation disruptions, evacuations, and forcing some livestock owners to abandon their animals. On Tuesday, the City of Abbotsford issued an urgent notice to residents of Sumas Prairie — part of the Fraser Lowland —…

On Wednesday, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Local 401 served Cargill with a strike notice. “We have conducted a strike vote in accordance with the requirements of the Labour Relations Code,” reads the notice from UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “The results of that strike vote present an overwhelming desire to engage…

The Government of Alberta is looking for public feedback on ways to promote economic development in rural Alberta. Increasing investment plays a key factor in recovering economically from the COVID-19 pandemic, the global collapse of energy prices, and the worst economic downturn in almost a century. Discussions and feedback collected will ensure our rural communities…

In 2003, just as scientists were putting the finishing touches on the human genome mapping project, and while 32 countries struggled to stop the spread of SARS, a single domestic case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was detected on an Alberta farm, closing international borders to Canadian beef and cattle sales for almost two decades….

Canadian beef producers are encouraged with the latest interest in trade expansion through theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Since CPTPP came intoeffect on December 30, 2018, Canadian beef exports have increased 37 per cent in volume and 35 per cent invalue (2020 vs. 2018). From January to August 2021, exports continue to…

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press One of the most destructive and rapidly spreading invasive species on the continent has been found for the first time in a Canadian national park. Wild pigs, which tear up landscapes and eat everything from roots to bird eggs to deer, are regularly present in Elk Island National Park —…