Reuters – U.S. agriculture companies have been brisk importers of Russian fertilizer since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, a practice that is unwittingly helping fund Russia’s war against Ukraine, U.S. producer CF Industries CF.N said on Thursday. The U.S. does not impose sanctions directly on Russian fertilizer, which is important to global food supplies and prices. On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued hundreds of fresh sanctions on other Russian targets over the war. “What’s kind of shocking is there’s been all of this focus on not funding the Russian war machine and not bu ..read more

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. health officials on Friday warned that dairy workers remain at risk from the H5N1 bird flu virus that is infecting dairy herds, and urged them to wear protective gear to avoid infection. The U.S. CDC urged farmers, workers, and emergency responders to wear appropriate protective gear when in direct or close physical contact with sick birds, livestock, feces, raw milk or contaminated surfaces. The warning coincides with a letter published online in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine detailing the case of a dairy worker who was infected with the virus in Mar ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia—Do you know a woman working in agriculture that has made an outstanding contribution to the industry? If so, a nomination to receive an international “Women in Ag Award” may be in order. DLG, the German Agricultural Society, which hosts the farm shows Agritechnica and the animal husbandry-focused EuroTier in Hannover, Germany, is accepting nominations for that award until July 31. The organization is accepting nominations or direct applications from women internationally. The award winners will be selected by an international jury made up of representatives from agr ..read more

Agriculture venture capital investment was an outlier in 2023, as it increased slightly over 2022, according to the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA) However, that news belied pessimism on the state of ag tech at the recent Agri Tech Venture Forum in Toronto. The forum heard that the availability of capital for agriculture technology entrepreneurs has dried up significantly compared to the heady days of investment growth during the pandemic years. David Kornacki, of the Canadian Venture Capital Association, reported that agribusiness had a record year in 2023, with $273 million inves ..read more

Cats and dogs are susceptible to getting sick from and dying from bird flu, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning. Ever since the discovery of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Texas and Kansas milk in late March, there have been reports of cats getting sick and dying from the flu on infected operations. A similar incident in a southern Ontario dog hearkens back to April 2023. Although the bird flu has not been reported in dairy herds in Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has some ideas on what to watch for and what to do if you think your dogs or cats h ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia—Grain Growers of Canada is sounding the alarm over a potential strike by workers at both of the country’s major railways. More than 95 per cent of workers at Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railways have voted in favour of a strike that could happen as early as May 22. The farm group said this could cause mass disruption to the agricultural sector and the Canadian economy. “As farmers, our operations are closely tied to rail transport, both inbound to access crop inputs and outbound to deliver grain to export position,” said chair Andre Harpe. “A rail strik ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia—John Greig, Glacier FarmMedia’s senior technology editor, talks about what he expects to learn at the AGRI Tech Venture Forum in Toronto, May 1 and 2, 2024. The post VIDEO: Ag-tech venture forum kicks off in Toronto appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen ..read more

New York | Reuters—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that preliminary results of additional testing of more dairy products has shown that pasteurization inactivates the bird flu virus. The FDA released results from tests of products including sour cream and cottage cheese, after reporting last week that preliminary results from testing showed pasteurization kills the virus in milk and baby formula. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed bird flu in 36 dairy herds in nine states since late March. One Texas dairy worker tested positive for the virus. The FD ..read more

Winnipeg | Reuters—Thousands of railway workers in Canada at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have voted overwhelmingly to strike as early as May 22, the union said today. Railways are critical to Canada’s economy, due to its vast geography and exports of grain, potash and coal. Contracts covering locomotive engineers, conductors and yard workers at CN and CPKC expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is re-negotiating a third agreement covering CPKC rail traffic controllers. The three worker groups, numbering 9,300 workers, each vote ..read more

The drive to protect native grasslands on the Canadian Prairies is gaining momentum.  The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), in partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, is working to create the Grasslands Conservation Initiative.  Canadian Cattle Association president Nathan Phinney says they have seen too much native grasslands converted for other uses.  “It was a producer-led initiative which evolved into a deeper discussion, and then it made its way through the CCA channels. And then we started to push for it,” Phinney says. The goal is to ..read more