(Alice McFarlane/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday October 9, 2019

Oct 9, 2019 | 9:59 AM

Slow harvests could be a mental health concern for some farmers.

The end of September snow threw a wrench into what was an already stressful harvest season.

With more rain and snow in the forecast it’s bad news for farmers who rely on quality crops for income.

Lyle Jensen who farms land near Nobleford, Alberta said farmers have been spending long hours in the combine to try to beat the next snowfall and some are feeling the pressure.

Doctor Robbie Babins-Wagner with the Calgary Counselling Centre said recognizing symptoms of anxiety and depression is important for farmers who are under stress.

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Some producer groups aren’t happy with the Canada and European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance said after two years the deal is not delivering for agri-food exporters.

It says EU exports to Canada have increased by over 10 per cent while Canadian agri-food exports have decreased by the same amount.

That increases the trade deficit to $3.5 billion in favour of EU exporters.

The alliance said while increases are recorded for some grain exports to the EU from eastern Canada, overall durum wheat exports into Italy have been cut in half since the introduction of Italian mandatory country of origin labelling regulations.

On the beef side, while the Canadian industry has achieved gains in value and volume to the EU, the volume of Canada’s beef exports to the EU remains far below the potential.

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Canada’s beef industry has released its strategy to better position itself to grab a larger share of the world market.

The 2020-2024 National Beef Strategy’s goal is to make Canada’s industry the most trusted and competitive in the world.

It calls for reducing trade barriers in export markets, enhancing consumer confidence in Canadian beef and promoting its health and nutritional benefits.

There is also a plan to improve productivity by reducing calf deaths, bolstering feed efficiency and increasing hay yields.

The strategy includes work done by the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Beef Breeds Council, Canada Beef, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF