Sidebar 2: How ASRA is calculated Sunday, April 5, 2009 "Quebec's income stabilisation program is a combination of AgriStability and ASRA," says Alain Pouliot, vice-president in charge of the ASRA program at La Financière Agricole du Québec. "The AgriStability program covers two thirds of losses and is funded by both levels of government. The ASRA program is the last program to intervene and it is funded one third by producers and two thirds by the Quebec government." ASRA numbers are based on cost of production (COP) reports which are tabulated by an independent firm. The insurable portion of the COP corresponds to approximately 80 to 90 per cent of a producer's total COP and doesn't factor in ASRA, crop insurance premiums or the return on equity. "The COP for the piglets' program, for instance, is calculated by averaging the production costs of operations ranging from 150 to 600 sows every four to five years, but each expense is adjusted yearly to reflect the market situation," explains Pouliot There were 3,9171 registered hog farmers in Quebec in 2007, but only 1,400 hog farms were registered under the market hog and piglets insurance programs in 2008. Part of the discrepancy can be attributed to contract hog producers, but most of the difference is due to multiple hog farmers (i.e. family members) owning shares in the same hog farm. Approximately 50 per cent of the 7,700 000 hogs for which compensation was paid were owned by belong to independent producers. Genetics: The computer revolution in progeny testing Sidebar 1: Quebec agriculture - a history of intervention
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Friday, July 24, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Canada Opens Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Thursday, July 23, 2026 A major change to Canada's internal marketplace is set to create new opportunities for wineries, breweries and distilleries after nine provinces signed a landmark agreement allowing direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across participating jurisdictions. The deal is being hailed... Read this article online
Bertha Armyworm Hotspots Emerging Across Saskatchewan Thursday, July 23, 2026 Canola growers across Western Canada are once again being encouraged to keep a close watch for bertha armyworm, one of the most damaging insect pests affecting the crop. While outbreaks do not occur every year, specialists say the pest can quickly move from a minor concern to a major... Read this article online
How One Simple Tool Can Help Protect Crop Quality Thursday, July 23, 2026 Planning crop harvests requires more than monitoring field conditions—it also means ensuring crop protection products have sufficient time to break down before harvest. Using the correct pre-harvest interval (PHI) helps growers meet residue requirements, protect market access and... Read this article online
B.C. sod farmer looks back on World Cup experience Thursday, July 23, 2026 A B.C. farmer will hold onto the fact he, and Canadian agriculture, got to play a role during the World Cup. “It was quite exciting to be a part of that, to be a part of Canadian history,” Bert Bos, owner of Bos Sod Farms in Abbotsford, told Farms.com. In February 2025, Bos’s farm... Read this article online