Academic advocates user fees for agricultural antibiotics Tuesday, March 4, 2014 University of Calgary economics professor Aidan Hollis sees user fees for the non-human use of antibiotics as a way to stop dangerous overuse. Hollis and co-author Ziana Ahmed argue in a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine that the "promiscuous" use of antibiotics is leading to antimicrobial resistance, which could seriously threaten human health. Their research shows agriculture accounting for 80 per cent of annual antibiotic use in the United States. Hollis told The Poultry Site that many applications are "low-value" – designed to increase productivity, but resulting in marginal profits. "The real value of antibiotics is saving people from dying," Hollis says. "Everything else is trivial." Rather than advocating an all-out ban on agricultural antibiotics, which would stress some farmers and drive up food prices, Hollis argues for a user fee that would deter indiscriminate use. BF Ontario's Abattoir Shortage: Farmers turn to community-driven solutions Farmers eye drones - and so do animal rightists
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