Uncollectible loans and unsustainable agriculture Sunday, April 3, 2011 The Nova Scotia government wrote off $16.2 million in bad loans from 2008. The loans included more than $1 million in uncollectible student loans, and smaller amounts for pharmacare premiums and unpaid fees. But by far the majority of the uncollectible loans had been made by the Nova Scotia agriculture department. "This unusually high amount is due to defaulted hog loan accounts under the Farm Loan Board," said a ministry of finance press release."For many years, hog farming in Nova Scotia was heavily subsidized by government," the release went on. "When government support was discontinued in 2007-08, many hog farmers were unable to sustain their business due to low pork prices and rising production costs."The Canadian Pork Council's public relations manager, Gary Stordy, says the Nova Scotia industry has collapsed. There are six pig farms left, compared to more than 80 four years ago.Many provinces offer loans to producers of various commodities, Stordy says. Another pork example is Big Sky Farms Inc. in Saskatchewan. The province now has a stake in the embattled company. BP Inconsistent reports on red meat The 'bacon bubble' that didn't burst
GIFS at USask CEO applauds transparent, science-based approval of gene-edited pig Friday, February 13, 2026 The CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan is applauding Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) following the regulatory approval of the PRRS-resistant pig, which was developed... Read this article online
Recall against Alberta ag minister likely to fail Thursday, February 12, 2026 The recall against Alberta’s minister of agriculture is likely to fail. With only nine days remaining to collect signatures, organizers in Minister RJ Sigurdson’s riding of Highwood have only secured 807 of the 15,788 (5.1 per cent) signatures required to recall the minister, according to... Read this article online
Possible measles exposure at Manitoba Ag Days Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Health officials in Manitoba are asking anyone who attended Ag Days in Brandon and the surrounding area to monitor symptoms of measles. “Possible exposures may have occurred in the city on the event days, on the days leading up to it and the days following it…,” Manitoba Health said in a... Read this article online
Former ag minister Ritz remembers working with Prime Minister Harper Wednesday, February 11, 2026 On the heels of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s official portrait unveiling in Ottawa on Feb. 3, Farms.com connected with his agriculture minister Gerry Ritz about working with Canada’s 22nd prime minister. Ritz, who in 2020 was elected reeve for the Rural Municipality of Mervin in... Read this article online
Bonnefield joins Canadian Agriculture Investment Coalition Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Bonnefield Financial Inc. announced its participation in a new investment coalition focused on strengthening Canada’s agriculture and food industry. The coalition, brought together by Farm Credit Canada, includes more than 20 investment organizations. Together, they are prepared to invest... Read this article online