For the next year, this column will mark The Western Producer’s 100th anniversary by taking a deep dive every week into a past issue of the paper.
The discovery of BSE in an Alberta cow was announced May 20, 2003, and our June 6, 2003, issue was pretty much all BSE, all the time.
To get a sense of the depth of our coverage, here’s a list of the headlines:
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Days ahead critical in BSE probe — page 1
BSE fears unwarranted, say experts — page 1
BSE empties auction marts — page 3
Calls for BSE aid begin to grow — page 3
BSE compensation will be huge task (editorial) — page 6
Science-based reasons lost in search for scapegoat (Barry Wilson column) — page 6
Spring promise tempered by cattle news (Verna Thompson column) — page 7
They’re more than hay burners (Barb Glen column) — page 7
BSE fuels push for one standard — page 10
Ranching family accepts the system — page 11
4-H members feel sting of BSE investigation — page 11
BSE case benefits U.S. producers — page 13
Consumers should pay for zero-tolerant disease expectations (D’Arce McMillan column) — page 14
Phone before selling cattle — page 15
Ranch plans called off in wake of BSE — page 17
Some U.S. cattle buyers pinched by import ban — page 17
Beef block booed — page 17
BSE surveillance to increase — page 19
International rules in place for BSE testing — page 19
Cheap beef elusive in BSE’s wake — page 86
Pet food maker stuck in BSE bind — page 86
BSE aid tied to signing APF (Agriculture Policy Framework) — page 86
The Producer also ran a message to readers on page 13, encouraging them to help educate the public about “the realities of BSE, not the panic fantasy,” by each calling two associates in the city and sharing the facts.
“If every Western Producer reader makes two calls, there will be 650,000 telephone calls made. Of course, that’s counting spouses and siblings who read, but a good start. Make the calls.”
