Safety review not a rural service cut: Canada Post

An ongoing review of on-the-job safety for rural mail carriers is not a disguised attempt to cut rural mail service, Canada Post said Thursday. The federal mail carrier issued a statement “to firmly dispel any misconceptions that might have arisen, from recent media reports or other sources, about the future of rural mail delivery.” Its […] Read more

Made-in-Canada swine vaccine approved

A recently-approved vaccine to control post-weaning diarrhea in swine will be the first of its kind in a decade to be developed and produced in Canada, its makers report. Coliprotec, developed by Prevtec Microbia of Ste-Hyacinthe, Que., was brought through pre-licensing serial testing at the Saskatchewan Research Council’s biosafety level 2 fermentation pilot plant, on […] Read more


Ont. pledges $2.5M for ag research

The Ontario government plans to use $2.5 million of its $150 million aid package for its livestock and horticulture sectors to fund ag research. The $2.5 million, part of the aid package announced in December, will go to the Agricultural Adaptation Council, a coalition of 71 farm, food and rural groups, to put toward research […] Read more

Profit up, sales down for Buhler in 2007

Sales of “non-core assets” helped boost the year-end bottom line for Winnipeg farm equipment maker Buhler Industries, which on Tuesday reported higher net profit on lower sales for 2007. The company, which sold itself in 2007 to Russia’s Combine Factory Rostselmash, posted $8.01 million in net profit on $166.2 million in revenues, up from $4.58 […] Read more


Seaway traffic down in record-long season

Reduced traffic from ocean vessels and steel imports bit into the St. Lawrence Seaway’s total cargo volume for 2007, which dropped nine per cent from 2006 to 42.7 million tonnes, according to the company that manages the passage. Nevertheless, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. reported that the volume shows “the resilience of the system […] Read more

Québec kicks in $20M for crush plant

Québec’s provincial government will put up $20 million toward a planned new canola and soybean crushing plant destined for the province’s central region. Twin Rivers Technologies (TRT), a Boston-area chemical company specializing in fatty acids, glycerin, esters and biofuels, combined with ETGO (Entreprises de transformation de graines oleagineuses du Québec), a Québec oilseed processor, plan […] Read more


Pfizer buys into N.S.-made vaccine booster

Pfizer Animal Health has licensed a Halifax firm’s vaccine-boosting platform to develop new livestock treatments. Terms of Pfizer’s deal with ImmunoVaccine Technologies, announced Monday, weren’t disclosed, but the Halifax company will get signing fees and milestone and royalty payments as Pfizer begins to commercialize its VacciMax platform. The licensing deal allows Pfizer to use the […] Read more

Yeast additive approved for beef cattle

Levucell SC, a “rumen-specific” yeast additive for cattle feed, has picked up approval for a new label claim from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The product’s manufacturer, Lallemand Animal Nutrition of Milwaukee, may now sell the product to beef cattle producers for use in their feeding programs. The company has also been allowed the […] Read more


CPR repair shop staff approve strike

Members of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union at 22 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) repair shops across Canada have voted to strike if a contract can’t be reached by Jan. 29. CAW Local 101 members voted 85 per cent in favour of a strike, the union said in a release Friday afternoon. The union, which […] Read more

Sask. livestock loan paperwork available

Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry has released application forms for its short-term loan programs for hog and cattle producers. The provincial short-term cattle loan program forms will be available at rural municipality offices and regional Saskatchewan Agriculture offices, the province said Monday. The deadline for completed applications for the cattle program is March 31. The maximum principal […] Read more