OPEN FARM DAY . . . WTO SIDES WITH CANADA AND MEXICO ON COOL . . . MYCOTOXIN ALERT FOR GROWING RISK ON CANADIAN FARMS  . . . USDA TO CERTIFY NON-GMO FOODS WITH NEW LABEL . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

OPEN FARM DAY
Source: NSFA
Mark your calendars! Every year, NSFA asks Nova Scotia farms to open their gates to the general public. This year, Open Farm Day will take place on September 20th. We welcome all new and returning farm participants.
nsfa-fane.ca/openfarmday.

WTO SIDES WITH CANADA AND MEXICO ON COOL
Source: The Western Producer
For the fourth and final time, the World Trade Organization has sided with Canada and Mexico in their challenge of the United States discriminatory mandatory country of origin labelling law. The decision paves the way for Canada to place tariffs on U.S. imports in retaliation for the economic harm done to Canadian cattle and pork because of the mandatory country of origin labelling laws. The ruling ends the eight-year legal battle by Canada challenging the U.S. labelling law for violating the U.S.’s international trade obligations. (read more)

MYCOTOXIN ALERT FOR GROWING RISK ON CANADIAN FARMS
Source: FCC
Canadian livestock farmers, particularly those raising dairy calves, are being warned to keep an eye on rising mycotoxin levels in feed. Samples collected at 40 farms from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island by animal health company Alltech from September 2014 through to the end of last month show trend lines growing over time. “The risk has increased from low risk at harvest time to a risk that is trending higher as we progress to the late spring and summer months,” says Dr. Max Hawkins, a nutritionist with Alltech’s mycotoxin management team. (read more)

USDA TO CERTIFY NON-GMO FOODS WITH NEW LABEL
Source: NPR If you want to know if the beef you're buying is grassfed, there’s a U.S. Department of Agriculture label for that. The agency is also behind the nation’s biggest certified organic label, and an antibiotic-free one, too. But how do you know whether a product is made with genetically modified organisms? It’s not always easy to tell. For companies that want to certify their food as being free of these ingredients, there's the Non-GMO Project Verified seal administered by the independent Non-GMO Project. (read more)