Small Scale Chicken Farmers Feel Threatened By New Specialty Quota Program

Dec 16, 2016

The president of Direct Farm Manitoba is disappointed that an appeal on behalf of small scale chicken farmers has been rejected by Manitoba Chicken Producers.

Phil Veldhuis says that new regulations surrounding a specialty quota program will impose punitive and arbitrary costs on producers.

It's estimated that under the new program, administrative fees of nearly $80,000 could be imposed on small scale producers in order for them to continue to raise the same number of birds.

Direct Farm Manitoba initiated an appeal of the cancellation of existing exemption programs to support the small farmers who would be directly affected by being forced into a new program with a maximum production limit less than their historical production.

“This is a poor decision for Manitobans who care about where their food comes from, we hope the public will support us as we take this appeal to the Manitoba Farm Products Council," said Veldhuis.

Source : Portageonline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.