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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Friday March 27, 2020

Mar 27, 2020 | 8:57 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the Canadian cattle industry.

The stock market sell-off led to a drastic drop in cattle prices.

Dennis Laycraft with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said cattle prices are recovering as the public realizes food is an important commodity in uncertain times.

“We saw more assurances business continuity would move in as food got identified as a part of critical infrastructure and an essential service,” he said.

Laycraft said it’s important to continue to operate as close to full capacity as possible.

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“There’s nothing more essential than food in any crisis,” he said.

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The Alberta government has come up with a plan to deal with two economic challenges.

They have found a way to keep the food supply chain operating during the COVID-19 pandemic while dealing with a rising unemployment rate.

Alberta’s Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen said it would be job matching program.

“If you were a dishwasher and you can’t go to work anymore, washing potatoes isn’t that much different,” he said. “We are looking at a kind of skills matching and job matching where we could see more Albertans, and possibly urbanites, going out and working on farms which I think creates a greater connection between general Albertans and rural Albertans.”

Dreeshen did not indicate a start date on the proposed urban-rural job match program.

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Chicken Farmers of Canada have announced its new executive and new logo following its recent annual general meeting.

Continuing as chair is Benoît Fontaine from Stanbridge Station, Que. He has served on the board since 2013 and has been chair since 2016. First vice-chair is Derek Janzen from Aldergrove, B.C., Nick de Graaf from Port Williams, N.S. will serve as second vice-chair. Tim Klompmaker, a board member since 2017 and a farmer from Norwood, Ont. was elected as an executive member of the board.

The updated logo incorporates the distinctive chicken from the Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand logo.

Recent studies show 87 per cent of Canadians believe it is vital Canadian chicken be labelled as Canadian. They also want that Canadian chicken is raised by farmers they can trust.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF