Alberta farmer express

Page 1

GHOST TOWN A HAPPENING PLACE

TRACING A LINE FROM FARM TO HOMES

One night a month, the former hamlet of Rowley is Canada’s busiest ghost town » PG 38

Producers can use traceability systems to build a connection with consumers, says food expert » PG 3

Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

V o l u m e 1 3 , n u m b e r 2 4   N o v e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 6

Prince Rupert needs to be part of rail transport revamp Expanding the northern B.C. port should be a key part of $10.1-billion plan to improve transportation

Quarantine comes with a ‘devastating’ cost There are roughly 10,000 cattle under quarantine, and every animal can cost as much as $3 a day in feed and yardage

BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF

T

he Port of Prince Rupert should be a major beneficiary of Ottawa’s $10.1-billion pledge to revamp transportation routes to international markets, says one of the world’s biggest pulse exporters. “Prince Rupert is a major opportunity — when we look at Pacific gateway access, we need a balanced approach between Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert,” said AGT Foods president and CEO Murad Al-Katib. “These are very critical elements for the next 40 to 50 years.” Major grain companies have invested heavily in grain terminals at Vancouver, but more needs to be done, said Al-Katib, who in addition to heading one of the world’s largest pulse trading companies was a senior adviser to the panel that reviewed the Canada Transportation Act (CTA). “We need to ensure the continued investments and port infrastructure improvements that have been undertaken by large players

Many of the cattle now under quarantine would have been sold this fall. Now cash-strapped ranchers must feed them at a time when cattle prices are moving downward.  PHOTO: THINKSTOCK BY JENNIFER BLAIR

revamp } page 7

AF staff

R

anches under quarantine in southeastern Alberta could be collectively losing $15,000 to $30,000 per day feeding and caring for the roughly 10,000 cattle they can neither move nor sell. And much of that money may never be recovered, which is prompting calls for a new approach to compensating producers whose herds are being investigated for bovine tuberculosis. “These are cow-calf producers, and they’re not able to move their calves at exactly the time of year that you would be moving them to sell them,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers.

“Now they’re having to hold and feed their calves, and they don’t have facilities or feed for wintering their calves. And because they haven’t made any sales, they don’t have any money to purchase feed. “It’s been devastating for those producers.” In late September, the USDA confirmed a case of bovine tuberculosis in one cow from a farm near Jenner, and since then, around 33 farms in Alberta and two in southern Saskatchewan have been quarantined. The positive case of the disease will not change Canada’s tuberculosis-free status and should not affect trade, said Smith. “The tuberculosis case does not have huge significance for the industry as a whole, but it’s devastating for those producers who are affected by it,” he said.

Promoting pulses

“We’ve asked the provincial government to look at AgriRecovery — which is disaster funding — to offset the costs to producers and also look at some short-term financial support to get them through this crunch.” Producers receive fair market value for any animals that test positive for the disease and are destroyed, but “there’s no federal compensation in place to pay for those animals in terms of yardage and feed,” said veterinarian Dr. Cody Creelman. “There are some resources available within each province — like AgriStability — that can potentially help offset some of those costs, but it’s very difficult,” said Creelman of Veterinary Agri-Health Services in Airdrie.

Quarantine } page 6

more needs to be done } PAGE 19


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.