By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Monday, April 17, 2023

Apr 17, 2023 | 9:48 AM

Western Canadian farmers are hoping for a normal year after the extreme ups and downs of the last two.

Farmers gearing up for spring seeding said they hoped they won’t have to deal with record-breaking weather events like 2021’s drought.

Many Prairie farmers that year had to write off much of their crop as fields turned to dust and plants withered. Last year was a much better harvest but farmers also had to deal with surging inflation that drove up their costs.

This year crop prices have come down somewhat but so has inflation, and many farmers are hoping for a less volatile growing season.

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Quebec pork producer Olymel said it will close a slaughterhouse near Quebec City and lay off roughly 990 workers.

Operations will wind down gradually over the next eight months with a final closure on Dec. 22.

Olymel CEO Yanick Gervais said the company’s fresh pork sector has lost more than $400 million in the last two years because of several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, labour shortages and the instability of export markets.

He said the company is open to relocating any of the laid-off workers who want to work at Olymel’s three remaining slaughterhouses or its other facilities.

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The Canada Grains Council (CGC) has named Erin Gowriluk as its executive vice- president.

CGC Chair Rick White said there is a lot of opportunity for the Canadian grains sector and CGC is confident Erin is the person to help the group stay at the forefront of a rapidly shifting political, trade and regulatory climate.

‘Erin’s history of strong leadership, strategic innovation and nurturing partnerships within our sector will be immensely helpful as we work to meet strategic goals,” White said.

Most recently, Gowriluk served as Executive Director of the Grain Growers of Canada, where she managed day-to-day operations and advanced federal policy work on behalf of 65,000 grain farmer members from coast to coast.

She also held senior policy roles with Syngenta Canada, and the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions.

Gowriluk said she was drawn to the CGC because she believed the organization’s track record showed there is more that unites the Canadian grain industry than divides it.

Gowriluk replaces outgoing executive vice-president Tyler Bjornson.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW