Most livestock producers agree castration, branding, dehorning and difficult calving cause animals pain, but most producers do not use pain treatments to take the edge off. Recent survey results show about a third of producers use pain control for dehorning. However, many say they dehorn when the calves are very young or use a polled […] Read more
Livestock
Must Reads
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Feed barley study has eye on swine, poultry markets
Barley is well known as a good feed for western Canadian beef cattle. But traditionally, it has not been seen…
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Tractor trip ends in tragedy
Elmira, Ont., dairy producers Henk and Bettina Schuurmans' trans-Canada trip to promote Canadian dairy ended in tragedy near Saskatoon July…
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Vitamin research need IDed
DES MOINES, Iowa — Outdated and inappropriate vitamin knowledge could be cleared away with some major research centres being established,…
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Sask. sets new targets for livestock receipts by 2025
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan government just raised the bar for livestock producers and that’s a good thing. The…
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Wagyu deliver specialty market for Alta. ranch
HIGH RIVER, Alta. — Since Michelle Ball launched the Brant Lake Wagyu brand in 2012, sales have increased each year.…
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No TB testing for Manitoba cattle
It's been 10 years since a cow has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in Manitoba. Since then, thousands of cows…
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Stories from our other publications
Alta. producer finds success raising bison
Madden, Alta. — Gary Sweetnam doesn’t beat around the bush when asked about why he got into raising bison. For him, it’s been a profitable venture. “There has been good money in it,” said Sweetnam, who owns Glengary Bison with his wife, Cynthia Austin, near Madden. The couple raise about 40 head on prairie grasses […] Read more
McDonald’s to offer sustainable burgers
McDonald’s Canada plans to offer certified sustainable beef burgers on its menus. Using animal care and environmental standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, the company said more than 20 million Angus beef burgers will be sourced starting this year. McDonald’s will use the roundtable logo that represents production and processing standards based […] Read more
Look beyond foot rot for lameness causes
Foot rot is a common diagnosis when an animal is limping but it may not be the correct one. “Every lame calf, the producer always says it has foot rot. In all reality, a lot of them are not foot rot, it is something else,” says veterinarian Roy Lewis. Producers should lift the foot and […] Read more
Producers must weigh economics of Johne’s disease testing
Johne’s disease is a relatively easy disease to diagnose in an individual cow, either through clinical signs or at post mortem. The characteristic symptoms of progressive weight loss and chronic watery diarrhea are easily identifiable. This slowly developing bacterial infection is most often contracted by very young calves and may not show clinical signs until […] Read more
Livestock producers concerned by antibiotic rule changes
EDMONTON — Livestock producers are expressing concerns about availability and prices of common antibiotics once new regulations take effect on Dec. 1. Farm supply stores sell some of the products, but unless a pharmacist is available to fill prescriptions, producers will have to buy medically important antibiotics from veterinarians. “There has been a lot of […] Read more
Feed barley study has eye on swine, poultry markets
Barley is well known as a good feed for western Canadian beef cattle. But traditionally, it has not been seen as good for single stomach animals, such as swine and poultry, because of its high-fibre content. Now Calgary-based Canadian Bio-Systems Inc. is conducting new research that could offer solutions on how to change that. “The […] Read more
Tractor trip ends in tragedy
Elmira, Ont., dairy producers Henk and Bettina Schuurmans’ trans-Canada trip to promote Canadian dairy ended in tragedy near Saskatoon July 9. The couple set off by tractor across Canada earlier last month with a plan to travel to British Columbia, meeting other farmers and raising the awareness of Canadian dairy. In a collision with a […] Read more
Vitamin research need IDed
DES MOINES, Iowa — Outdated and inappropriate vitamin knowledge could be cleared away with some major research centres being established, nutrition company DSM thinks. “We’ll be able to produce a lot of data quickly,” said Casey Bradley, who is organizing a network of large-scale hog research farms. While there is a lot of macronutrient research […] Read more
Sask. sets new targets for livestock receipts by 2025
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan government just raised the bar for livestock producers and that’s a good thing. The province is now targeting livestock cash receipts of $2.5 billion by 2025 in its updated growth plan. Shelley Jones, manager of the agriculture ministry’s Ag Knowledge Centre, said previous targets had been met and it […] Read more
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