(OntLA.on.ca)

Ontario budget seeks tax flexibility for on-farm processing

The Ontario government has balanced its budget for the first time in since 2008 — but Thursday’s budget contained little news for agriculture and rural Ontario. Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s budget mostly highlighted agriculture programs that had already been announced, and maintains $100 million in funding for the provincial Risk Management Program, which helps offsets […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf posts higher-than-expected profit

Reuters — Meat-packing company Maple Leaf Foods reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, driven by increased retail sales in Canada and higher exports. The company, whose brands include Schneiders and namesake Maple Leaf, said adjusted operating earnings rose 10 per cent to $59 million in the first quarter ended March 31. Maple Leaf, which is Canada’s […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Subway says it shut hundreds of U.S. restaurants last year

Reuters — U.S. sandwich chain Subway Restaurants said on Thursday it shut 359 restaurants in the U.S. last year, amid stiff competition in a highly fragmented fast-food industry. Subway, owned by Doctor’s Associates, is the world’s largest fast-food chain by number of restaurants. It had 26,744 locations operating in the U.S. at the end of […] Read more


This horse cut himself somehow in the pasture during a blizzard. That mess on his leg is snow and frozen blood. I thought I might have to bandage and wrap it. However, the wound was barely visible — it’s under the dot of ice in the second picture. He wasn’t lame, I couldn’t find any foreign material in the wound, and the leg didn’t swell, so I left it alone. This is just one example of the things that only seem to happen when I’m farm-sitting.

Leaving your livestock to a farm-sitter

Reporter's Notebook: Before you get on the plane, you're going to have to find someone to feed and watch those cows

How do cattle producers manage to leave for winter holidays if they aren’t working with extended family? It’s a conundrum producers have likely faced since they first domesticated cattle-beasts. Several years ago, while I was still living in Edmonton, I remember hearing about a guy, Frank Campbell, who was setting up a farm-sitting service. Basically […] Read more

A rail car from SGCC’s fleet. (Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan budget seen as costly touch for farms

Saskatchewan’s general farm organization is consulting its farmer members on less-discussed features of last month’s provincial budget, while warning them to brace for impact from new budget-related costs. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan last Monday wrapped up its latest round of spring district meetings, at all six of which APAS general manager Duane Haave […] Read more



Will your family be ‘schpocking’ at Easter?

Will your family be ‘schpocking’ at Easter?

Prairie Palate: This ancient game of cracking hard-boiled eggs traces back to Russian tradition

In some parts of the world, the new year is celebrated at the spring equinox. This makes perfect sense. At the equinox, the days get longer, the sun gets warmer and things start to grow again. Spring is nature’s new year. OK, OK, it’s still half winter here, but a New Year’s celebration would pick […] Read more