U.S. dairy farms rely on Hispanic workers Monday, February 28, 2011 Many dairy farmers, even in Wisconsin, depend upon immigrant labour to run their operations, according to a veterinarian in Waupun, Wis. Dr. Al Mertens stepped into a contentious and divisive debate over how to deal with undocumented workers in a guest column that appeared in the The (Fond du Lac) Reporter, in early January. Mertens wrote: "Dairy managers would like to avoid the language barriers and constant worries about immigration issues. They have enough problems managing their farms without adding more problems. But the truth is they can't find local Americans who want to fill the positions and show up to work . . . If we eliminated the Hispanic labour force the price of milk would increase and the banking industry would be forced to absorb a few billion more in bad loans as dairies fold."Our economy can't afford to send every illegal back to Mexico and replace them with a documented worker. The law abiding Hispanics that are here and working every day help everyone else eat cheap food and import cheaper goods." While comments on the website replying to the story were generally favourable, there was one strong suggestion that the entire dairy industry should be indicted for taking part in a criminal conspiracy. BF What direction should U.S. farm spending take? Ohio is local, Peterborough isn't
Chinese Tariffs Are Squeezing Canadian Grain and Oilseeds Friday, March 14, 2025 By Aleah Harle, Farms.com Risk Management Intern On March 8, 2025, China announced steep retaliatory tariffs on $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural products in response to Canada’s October tariffs of 100% on Chinese EVs, and 25% on steel, and aluminum. These newly... Read this article online
Canada proactively purchases 500,000 doses of a human vaccine against bird flu Friday, March 14, 2025 By Liam Nolan Canada’s agricultural industry continues to monitor the spread of Avian Influenza (AI). The H5N1 HPAI was first reported in Canada in December 2021, below is an update on recent developments. Avian influenza, or bird flu, continues to impact poultry farms... Read this article online
Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape Thursday, March 13, 2025 As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online
Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs Monday, March 10, 2025 Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online
International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert Wednesday, March 5, 2025 As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online