MARITIME ANGUS ASSOCIATION FIELD DAY  . . . CHICKEN CAMPAIGN CREATES CONNECTIONS . . . FARMWORKS CREATES JOBS IN NOVA SCOTIA . . . N.B. GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE STRICTER ORGANIC FOOD LABELLING STANDARDS . . . SAPUTO DROPS CHILLIWACK CATTLE SALES MILK OVER COW ABUSE VIDEO . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

MARITIME ANGUS ASSOCIATION FIELD DAY
Source: Atlantic Beef

The participants in The Maritime Angus Association Junior Show held at Port Elgin Fair grounds on Saturday June 14, 2014. The Juniors are decked out in the black vests they wore in the show ring.

Left to right: Corinne Gibson, Canadian Angus Association president (Six Mile Red Angus, Fir Mountain, Sask.); Kurt, Kinley, and Karly Duncan, 25-year member (Duncan Livestock, Cornwall, P.E.I.); Trevor Welch, Maritime Angus Association director to … — Left to right: Corinne Gibson, Canadian Angus Association president (Six Mile Red Angus, Fir Mountain, Sask.); Kurt, Kinley, and Karly Duncan, 25-year member (Duncan Livestock, Cornwall, P.E.I.); Trevor Welch, Maritime Angus Association director to the CAA Board and Past President of the Maritime Angus Association (Garvie Farms, Glassville, N.B.); Betty Lou Scott, 25-year member and 25-year Secretary-Treasurer Maritime Angus Association (WindCrest Farm, Mt Thom, N.S.); and Bill Scott accepting on behalf of Sandy Scott, 25-year member, also of WindCrest Farm. Dr. Bill Best of P.E.I. also qualified for a 25-year award but was unable to attend the Field Day in Port Elgin on June 13-14, 2014. (Photos by Emily Pipes)

CHICKEN CAMPAIGN CREATES CONNECTIONS
Source: FCC
Chicken farmers are hoping a new grassroots branding campaign will capitalize on producers already high public standing, while appealing to consumers’ demand for quality, safety, and local food. The campaign, “Raised by a Canadian Farmer,” was launched on Monday by the Chicken Farmers of Canada. The campaign showcases farmers’ commitment to provide nutritious chicken raised to the highest standards of care, quality, and freshness, says CFC chair David Janzen. (read more)

FARMWORKS CREATES JOBS IN NOVA SCOTIA
Source: AtlanticFarmer.com
As a result of strategic investments by FarmWorks Investment Co-operative Limited, more than 25 jobs have been created. FarmWorks announced today that 18 Nova Scotia food-related businesses have added 20 full-time jobs and six part-time jobs as a result of FarmWorks loans they received between May 2012 and December 2013. This is in addition to 21 full-time and 14 part-time positions held by the business owners themselves. The 2013 Workforce Multiplier Effect Study of Local Farms and Food Processors in Northwestern Ontario described a multiplier of 1.4, which indicates that 20 jobs in the local farm and food processing sector in Northwestern Ontario support eight additional jobs indirectly with suppliers and retailers.
For startup and young businesses involved, roughly 25 percent of their total capital came from FarmWorks, representing a significant contribution to their businesses. For established businesses, loans accounted for 1.5 percent to 100 percent of project capital.
FarmWorks was established in 2011 to promote and provide strategic and responsible community investment in food production and distribution in order to increase access to sustainable local food for all Nova Scotians. Money invested in the FarmWorks CEDIF is used to provide subordinated debt funding to farms and food-related businesses to help increase the supply of local food, and the level of agricultural and related economic activity. Multipliers ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 bring about direct, indirect and induced economic improvement with relatively small amounts of local investment.
FarmWorks does not require collateral, payments are deferred for three months, and no fees are charged for loan applications or early repayment. Applicants’ values and goals must align with FarmWorks’, and extensive due diligence is required before loans are made. Protection of shareholder investments in the FarmWorks Community Economic Development Investment Fund is paramount in order to ensure the ongoing success of the CEDIF program.
The amount invested in the surveyed businesses was part of $449,500 raised in the first two CEDIF offers. The recently closed third offer raised $271,500 that is now being loaned to food related businesses across the Province. The total raised within 27 months was $721,000.
The survey was conducted by Dr. Irena Knezevic, PhD, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and Chloe Kennedy, MSc, Farm to School Coordinator, Clean Nova Scotia, in March and April 2014.
AtlanticFarmer.com

N.B. GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE STRICTER ORGANIC FOOD LABELLING STANDARDS
Source: Global News
New Brunswick is taking steps to make sure all products labelled as organic live up to their name. The provincial government has created new regulations it will enforce to ensure such products meet national standards. (read more)

SAPUTO DROPS CHILLIWACK CATTLE SALES MILK OVER COW ABUSE VIDEO
Source: CBC BC
Saputo, producer of Dairyland dairy products, says it is no longer accepting milk from Chilliwack Cattle Sales, a B.C. farm where eight employees were caught on video beating cattle. The move comes after Mercy for Animals Canada released undercover video last week showing dairy cows being whipped and beaten with chains and canes, as well as punched and kicked, at Canada’s largest dairy farm. (read more)