Workers Voting On Tentative Deal At Cargill Plant In High River

Dec 03, 2021

Hundreds of workers at the Cargill meat plant in High River are continuing to vote on a tentative deal hammered out this week.

This time, UFCW is recommending acceptance. In a statement by the union, it says the contract offer would significantly improve the lives of workers at the huge plant. While we don't know all the ins and outs of this new offer, we do know it's offering workers a 1000 dollar signing bonus and a 1000-dollar COVID bonus.

News of this tentative deal has cattle producers on the prairies breathing a little easier. Many were worried that a walkout at the plant would lead to a repeat of the backlog of market ready cattle that happened when the plant shut down for two weeks last year following an outbreak of COVID.

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Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.