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Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday May 11, 2021

May 11, 2021 | 10:01 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — The Flax Council of Canada (FCC) is looking for new members.

FCC has developed an updated business plan focused on market access activities and is encouraging new memberships.

Chair Erwin Hanley said FCC sees the potential for growth in demand from consumers, livestock, and industrial sectors.

“Canada and the world are thinking about food supply and food security with even greater scrutiny today. We are working to increase memberships and take advantage of the growing demand for flax for the benefit of the entire flax value chain,” Hanley said in a news release.

Hanley said the new memberships will support the resources needed to carry out the activities of the reinvigorated FCC while including companies that may not have considered memberships in the past.

The council will work on market access issues that are creating barriers to trade. Hanley said removing trade barriers often requires education of government officials and consumers.

FCC is now located in Saskatoon, Sask. Wayne Thompson is the chief executive officer and will manage the day-to-day operations.

G3 Canada is providing $45,000 as its continued commitment to the BeGrainSafe program this year.

G3 has partnered with Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) since 2016 developing and delivering the program.

G3 has purchased grain rescue gear including GSI RES-Q-TUBES and Haul-ALL pencil augers for several rural fire departments in Saskatchewan and Alberta. G3 is making similar donations this year in Manitoba.

CASA’s grain safety program, BeGrainSafe, highlights the dangers of moving grain through awareness events and provides training to firefighters on grain entrapment rescue.

More information about BeGrainSafe, including firefighter training, is available here.

Walmart Canada is now sourcing beef from certified farms and ranches.

Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) said Walmart Canada is the first retailer to make an on-pack claim bearing the CRSB Certified Mass Balance logo on a line of beef patties in their Your Fresh Market brand in their stores.

The label features the logo, with a “contributing to beef sustainable beef production” claim, meaning at least 30 per cent of the beef in their Your Fresh Market beef patties are sourced from CRSB Certified farms and ranches, and tracked through the supply chain.

This mass balance system supports the sustainable practices of Canadian beef farmers and ranchers and is an important stepping-stone as the industry builds supply from Certified Operations.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW