February 27, 2015

N.S. TURKEY BOARD STRIKES AGAIN . . .WINTER STORMS FORCE SOME DAIRY FARMERS TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES . . . A PRICE TAG ON CARBON AS A CLIMATE RESCUE PLAN . . . DAIRY FARMERS OF N.S. REGIONAL MEETINGS . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

(John Duynisveld photo)

(John Duynisveld photo)

Test Station barn collapsed
Bulls are okay

The long narrow barn at the Maritime Beef Test Station in Nappan, N.S., where bulls are penned prior to the annual sale (this year scheduled for April 4) came down under heavy snow early the week of Feb. 23. No bulls or heifers were in the building at the time. It's reported that the Test Station's tractor and TMR mixer were parked in the barn but by good fortune were not damaged, although it took a good deal of effort to pull them from the wreckage. Manager Kenny Thompson was not immediately available for comment or further information. 

N.S. TURKEY BOARD STRIKES AGAIN Source: AtlanticFarmer.com In another move, seen by many as the Nova Scotia Turkey Marketing Board’s effort to wipe out small growers in the province, Larkin Brothers of Prince Edward Island has been informed it may no longer serve a market that’s taken as many as 12,000 poults a year from their farm in Hunter River (read more)

WINTER STORMS FORCE SOME DAIRY FARMERS TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES
Source: West Prince Graphic
West Devon dairy farmer, Harold MacNevin, considers himself one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to dump his day’s supply of milk after the recent winter snowstorms that blasted across the Island. However, MacNevin has heard there were as many as two West Prince farmers who weren’t so lucky. MacNevin’s milk was picked up the Wednesday following the storm. “I still had room in my holding tank because I am down on production so that wasn’t really an issue for me,” said MacNevin, dairy farmer and chairman for the Dairy Farmers of P.E.I. “Most of the farmers that had to dump milk because their capacity in their tanks ran out and they just didn’t have enough room.” (read more)

A PRICE TAG ON CARBON AS A CLIMATE RESCUE PLAN
Source: New York Times
Bryan T. Pagel, a dairy farmer, watched as a glistening slurry of cow manure disappeared down a culvert. If recycling the waste on his family’s farm would help to save the world, he was happy to go along. Out back, machinery was breaking down the manure and capturing a byproduct called methane, a potent greenhouse gas. A huge Caterpillar engine roared as it burned the methane to generate electricity, keeping it out of the atmosphere. (read more)

DAIRY FARMERS OF N.S. REGIONAL MEETINGS 
Source: DFNS The DFNS Board is seeking your input on a P5 pool-wide review of quota policies.  This will happen at a series of three Regional Meetings, along with other issue updates, Milk Committee elections, and open microphone time. A formal invitation and background documents will be mailed in early March. (read more)

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

IRVING AIMS TO OPEN GOLD AND COPPER MINE IN MAINE
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/irving-aims-to-open-gold-and-copper-mine-in-maine-1.2974782

GOOD NEWS: MORE CROPS! BAD NEWS: MORE PLAGUE!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2015/02/23/387772236/good-news-more-crops-bad-news-more-plague

EGG FARMERS OF NOVA SCOTIA ANNUAL MEETING, MARCH 3
https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Egg+Farmers+of+Nova+Scotia%2C+Annual+Meeting%2C+March+3

CHICKEN PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA ANNUAL MEETING, MARCH 4 
http://nsfa-fane.ca/calendarevent/chicken-producers-association-of-nova-scotia-annual-meeting/