Wal-Mart goes for Choice grade Monday, January 2, 2012 Wal-Mart Inc. has thrown a game changer into the beef industry by opting to carry Choice grade beef in its 3,800 U.S. stores. Previously the giant retailer was known for selling lean "select" beef that was also cheap. Now industry observers are speculating that Wal-Mart has taken a giant step away from its brand of providing consumers with cheap products.And ironically, according to Drovers Cattle Network, just getting into the marketplace with so many stores has driven the price of Choice grade cattle even higher. Agricultural economist Ron Plain says the move will increase the value of better marbling British-bred cattle over Continental breeds. There could be changes right down to basic breeding herds.More than half of Wal-Mart's $260 billion in U.S. sales last year were from groceries. BF Pizza as a health food? Bobolinks create farm landlord fears
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online