MERSEY FORUM PUBLIC TALK SERIES: DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE IN NOVA SCOTIA  . . . SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AGRICULTURE IN ANTIGONISH  . . . POLLINATORS IN DECLINE AROUND THE WORLD . . . A&W EXECUTIVE WALKS INTO LION’S DEN  . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

Dairy cows die in barn collapse
By Brion RobinsonVideo Journalist Global News

SUSSEX, N.B. - A Sussex farmer is continuing to assess the damage following a massive barn collapse Wednesday morning that killed 27 cows. Robin Manning of Manning Farms said he figures the cost of the damages from the roof collapse will reach around $250,000. "The whole roof had landed completely on both herds because it was shortly after feeding time so the bulk of the herd was underneath this barn eating," he said, standing outside the rubble. (read more)

MERSEY FORUM PUBLIC TALK SERIES: DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE IN NOVA SCOTIA
Source: The Maritimes Energy Association
The second of the Mersey Forum public talk series will be held in Liverpool at the Best Western Hotel on March 10 at 7pm with speaker Jon Grant, the NSERC-Cooke Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture and Professor of Oceanography at Dalhousie University. In this talk, Dr. Grant will discuss how Marine Spatial Planning can apply to fish farms in coastal ecosystems and be used to make the most of the coastal ecosystem in a sustainable way. (read more)

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AGRICULTURE IN ANTIGONISH
Source: NSFA
This 40 hour course will allow agriculture operators and managers to improve their knowledge in social media marketing and online identity skills. The course can provide basic information on social media marketing development, how to take control of social media decisions, and how to maximize a plan for reaching your social media goals. In addition, participants will be exposed to the latest social media trends. (read more)

POLLINATORS IN DECLINE AROUND THE WORLD
Source: BBC
Around the world, animals that pollinate flowering plants are in decline. An increasing number of pollinating mammal and bird species are moving towards extinction, according to the first study of its kind. Other, so far unpublished studies, also suggest that pollinating insect species are also heading towards extinction. (read more)

A&W EXECUTIVE WALKS INTO LION’S DEN
Source: Ontario Farmer
Trish Sahlstrom, vice-president of purchasing and distribution for A&W, walked into the lion’s den of farmers attending the annual meeting of Manitoba Beef Producers this week, defending the chain’s decision to reject beef raised with the help of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones. “In recent years the beef industry has been inundated with bad-news stories and we find consumers reluctant to choose beef,” she told the farmers, (read more)