MEAT and Livestock Australia has been awarded a $300,000 Federal grant for delivery of the Indonesia Biosecurity Support Program. The program is led by MLA and supports industry cooperation between Australia and Indonesia to strengthen Indonesia’s capability to address emergency animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD). Since the 2022 detection of FMD and LSD in Indonesia, the Albanese Labor Government has worked closely with Indonesia to aid their disease response activities through several targeted measures. The new grant announced today builds on our Government’s strong biosecurity arrangements. It is on top of more than $1 billion of additional biosecurity funding announced in the 2023 Budget, including $845 million to support operations across the country. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, said the grant reinforces Australia’s commitment to a strong relationship with Indonesia, builds industry partnership
Risks Ahead for Yellow Peas Canadian agriculture is heavily dependent on exports; that’s inescapable. This country has abundant resources relative to its population and that’s especially the case for agriculture. For pulse crops like peas and lentils, Canada frequently exports 90% of its annual production, so what goes on outside its borders is critical to success. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about possible trade glitches with some of Canada’s key trading partners. Looking at peas, the chart shows Canadian exports over the last 10 years and clearly reveals how much is riding on just two countries, India and China. The largest question mark for peas is the situation in India. The chart reveals how Indian tariffs and quantitative restrictions on pea imports, which were imposed late in 2017 and only rolled back in December 2023, affected Canadian trade. While those tariffs were in place, Canada relied even more heavily on China as a destination. Once those tariffs were rolled ba
Already the world’s largest, the Roquette pea processing plant in Manitoba is planning an expansion that will double current production, according to a provincial media release. The expansion was one of several major capital infrastructure and investment projects that will receive funding through the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP), the Manitoba and federal governments jointly announced Thursday. In total, the governments are investing $15.4 million in 70 projects over four years. The release said Roquette is investing in new equipment at its Portage la Prairie pea protein plant that will double production and “allow local producers to sell more of their product in Manitoba.” The plant now has the capacity to process 125,000 tonnes of Yellow peas annually. “Roquette searched far and wide when looking for the perfect place to build our state-of-the-art pea protein plant,” Chris Chinery, manager, Roquette Portage Pea Protein Plant, said in the rel
With producers adding on again in 2023, Canadian farm debt has now more than doubled in just over a decade. A Statistics Canada farm income report released earlier this week showed collective national farm debt stood at $146 billion at the end of last year, up 4.1% from the previous year and an increase of about 103% from the 2012 level of $71.8 billion. The bulk of the 2023 farm debt was owed to chartered banks and federal government agencies at about $51 billion and $43 billion, respectively, with credit unions owed around $22.3 billion. Ontario farm debt was reported at the end of 2023 was reported at $37.7 billion, up 5.3% on the year, while Quebec farm debt increased 6.9% to about $29 billion. Saskatchewan farm debt increased 2.5% to $21 billion, and Alberta debt was up 6.8% to $31.8 billion. Farm debt in Manitoba actually declined slightly in 2023, easing 0.3% to $12.4 billion. Rising farm debt was one of the reasons national farm interest rate costs jumped nearly 39% to $6
This article is one of a series of case studies on forage beneficial management practices from Alberta Agrisystems Living Lab and Canfax. It is reprinted on BeefResearch.ca with permission. Extended grazing can play a key role in lowering your feed costs and can have positive benefits for the health of your land. Some of these benefits include more even manure distribution across fields, less corral cleaning, improved soil fertility and overall reduced fuel use on your operation. One thing to keep in mind with extended grazing is the nutritional or feeding needs for the cattle. Some stages of growth or pregnancy may need more feed than extended grazing can provide. Careful monitoring of the cattle’s condition and feed tests can help you to be successful with extended grazing. Swath grazing utilizes annual crops, such as cereals or forage crops, that are cut in the fall and left in the field for cattle to graze directly. It can improve soil fertility by directly depositing manure, and
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