Americans aim to meet European (and Canadian) standards Monday, December 6, 2010 The National Milk Producers Federation in the United States has passed a resolution to increase standards for somatic cell counts (SCCs) in steps over the next three years to a legal limit of no more than 400,000 SCCs per millilitre of milk by Jan. 1, 2014. The current standard is 750,000. High somatic cell counts arean indication of infection in the udder. (Dairy Farmers of Ontario considers an SCC over 400,000 to be "elevated" and penalizes producers.)Jamie Jonker, the federation's vice-president of scientific and regulatory affairs, says the resolution has nothing to do with pressure from the European Union to have a similar standard on dairy products that are exported to that trading bloc.The federation is made up of 31 co-operatives producing the bulk of the U.S. milk supply and representing 40,000 dairy producers, according to the organization's website.The resolution will be passed to the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments for a final decision next April. BF EU policy convoluted on cloned farm animals The Queen of Egypt would not have been amused
Poilievre pledges to reverse the harmful capital gains tax hike Friday, January 17, 2025 Tax cuts for economic growth in Canada Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to reverse the tax hike on capital gains introduced by the NDP-Liberal government in June 2024. This tax increase, which raises the capital gains tax inclusion rate to 66%, has been widely... Read this article online
The tax impact on farmers of proroguing Parliament Friday, January 17, 2025 The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is advising farmers to be cautious when preparing their taxes this year. With Prime Minister Trudeau stepping down and proroguing Parliament until March 24,Ontario farmers are learning the suspension ofparliament impacts various proposed... Read this article online
Parliament’s shut down leaves farmers vulnerable Thursday, January 16, 2025 In March 2025, Canada's agriculture sector and broader supply chain will face a another setback with the expiration of the extended interswitching pilot program. With Parliament prorogued until March 24th, there is effectively no opportunity to renew or make the program permanent before... Read this article online
Ontario Apple Growers name new Chair Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Chris Hedges of Vanessa, Ontario, has been elected as the new Chair of the Ontario Apple Growers (OAG). After completing a year as the organization’s Vice Chair, Hedges () takes over from outgoing Chair Brian Rideout of Blenheim, Ontario, who has led the OAG since December 2023. Past OAG... Read this article online
Tackling vet shortages in rural Ontario Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Research conducted by the University of Guelph (U of G) highlights the challenges in attracting new veterinary graduates to serve food animals, such as cattle, in rural and remote areas of Ontario, particularly northern Ontario. This research is helping to inform solutions aimed at... Read this article online