By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Monday March 15, 2021

Mar 15, 2021 | 10:35 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Canada is a step closer to being recognized as a negligible-risk country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the scientific commission of the World Organization for Animal Health suggested to its delegates Canada’s application to change its status fulfills requirements.

Canada has been a controlled-risk country for BSE since 2007.

One of the criteria for the change is for Canada to show that infected domestic animals were born more than 11 years prior.

The country’s last case was in 2015 in a cow born in 2009.

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Delegates are to vote on Canada’s application at the organization’s next world assembly at the end of May.

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FarmCash is accepting spring advance applications from all western Canadian producers starting today.

For the first time in its history the Alberta program will include farmers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

While funds cannot be released until the official Advance Payments Program open date on April 1, producers can complete their online applications now.

Prairie producers of over 50 agriculture commodities including crops, livestock and honey, can apply for up to $1 million with the first $100,000 interest-free and the remaining balance at a competitive interest rate of TD prime minus 0.75 per cent.

The Advance Payments Program is a federal loan program that offers interest-free and low interest cash advances.

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Spring road bans are now in effect for southern Saskatchewan.

The bans are used to protect roads and infrastructure during the thawing period when roads are in their most vulnerable state. They work by reducing allowable weights on RM roads and secondary weight highways by 10 to 15 per cent.

Typically, road bans are brought in in late March or early April after winter weight restrictions have been lifted.

Updates on the status of bans in other regions will be made available through the Highway Hotline and social media.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF