Joe Dales's Blog – November 2012 Archive (4)

10% of the Cows, Half the Beef Exported: How Canada Punches Above Its Weight

With just under 3.5 million beef cows and a fed kill shy of 3 million head, Canada raises a fraction of North America’s cattle — but exports roughly half of what it produces as live cattle or beef. Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) General Manager Ryder Lee says Alberta–Saskatchewan cow country, Ontario and Alberta feeding hubs, and U.S. packing plants in Washington, Utah and Pennsylvania are tightly interlinked, making border access and science-based trade rules non-negotiable for producers on both sides. Raised on a commercial cow-calf operation in southern Saskatchewan — just 20 miles north of Montana — Lee grew up in what he describes as “cattle country.” After earning an animal science degree, he spent six years in agricultural sales with Dow AgroSciences before stumbling into cattle industry association work. He spent a decade in Ottawa doing policy lobbying, then served seven years as CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association before joining CCA as General Manager three y

Agricultural giant at centre of urban-rural housing divide in Ontario border city

It's been all about building as many new homes as possible in Ontario recently, but now a big corporation wants to stop housing projects in the Sarnia area — something that’s pitting rural and urban communities against one another. Cargill wants the provincial government to utilize its Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) for the opposite reason it was originally intended. The tool has become increasingly common as Ontario pushes to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. An MZO allows the housing minister to override the local planning process and make decisions directly. Usually, that means speeding up development. But in Sarnia, Cargill wants Minister of Municipal Affairs of Housing Rob Flack to step in and block new homes from being built near its property. The company is one of the biggest agricultural corporations in the world, and it operates a large grain terminal at Sarnia Harbour. This is where farmers truck their corn, soybeans and wheat at harvest time. Some of the product also comes

KIOTI entering mini excavator market

On June 2 the manufacturer announced the release of the MX Series mini excavators

CFIA Reports Show Strong Canadian Food Safety Compliance Across National Testing Programs

New CFIA testing results show consistently high compliance across Canada’s food supply, supporting consumer confidence and trade credibility.

: Ontario Crops Show Strong Start Despite Weather Challenges

Ontario crops show steady progress with near-complete planting, early growth challenges, and rising weed and disease concerns across corn, soybean, and wheat fields.