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Agriculture Roundup for Monday March 1, 2021

Mar 1, 2021 | 12:04 PM

MELFORT, SASK — The pandemic continued to disrupt the activities of the livestock sector.

A Statistics Canada report said despite the challenges, from July to December, processing plants adapted their operations to increase processing capacity and reduce backlogs.

More cattle, hogs and lambs were slaughtered in the second half of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

Canadian cattle and sheep inventories were down, while hog inventories were up as of Jan. 1.

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is accepting applications for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund.

FCC awards between $5,000 and $25,000 to rural community groups for various community improvement initiatives including construction and upgrades to community buildings, firefighting, and rescue equipment, play structures and recreation areas and renovations or upgrades that reduce a building’s energy footprint.

The application deadline is Mar. 31 and FCC will announce the selected projects in September.

The fund will award $1.5 million this year.

The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) has selected its new president.

Dr. Pat Burrage graduated from Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Sask. in 1989.

He spent the first half of his career owning and operating a mixed animal practice in southern Alberta. He has spent the past 15 years in central Alberta where he owned and managed a mixed animal practice with five veterinarians, three registered veterinary technologists and four support staff in Bluffton.

He has been involved with the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association throughout his career, serving on the Food Animal Advisory Committee and, most recently, a six-year term with the Complaint Review Committee.

Dr. Burrage’s one-year term began following the organizations annual meeting on Feb. 28.

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF