African swine fever virus is hard to kill. It can survive in feces and urine for days, travel on various surfaces and survive in pork even if the meat is cured or cooked to temperatures below 70 C. It has been reported in at least seven European Union countries at various times, and wild pigs […] Read more
Livestock — page 2
Wild pigs a reservoir of disease
Disease can be tricky to diagnose, but vets say up to the task
Dr. Egan Brockhoff is likely one of the few swine veterinarians in Canada who has seen African swine fever first-hand in pigs. The veterinarian consultant with the Canadian Pork Council travels extensively in his work as an expert in swine illnesses and has seen the ravages imposed by the virus on pigs in other countries. […] Read more
Winter ticks feed on horses and cause hair loss
Winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) differ from other ticks we encounter in late spring and early summer. They have a single-host lifecycle and as a result are unlikely to pass diseases. Moose, deer, and elk are the most common hosts of the winter tick, which can cause the phenomenon known as ghost moose. A single moose […] Read more
Manitoba cattle steady; Ontario, U.S. show interest
Manitoba cattle auctions reported strong prices this week amid good interest from the United States and Ontario. Prices slipped slightly, but remain at relatively strong levels, said Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Brian Lemon and Brian Perillat of cattle market analysis firm Canfax. “Prices are still down a bit. But they are still softening from […] Read more
Canada expected to give in on dairy at NAFTA
Three percent, five percent or seven percent. It’s become clear to trade experts that Canada will have to give American farmers a share of Canada’s dairy market to reach an agreement on a new NAFTA deal. But no one, except a few negotiators and government insiders, knows the answer to the critical question. “How much […] Read more
Canadian cattle herd continues to shrink
It’s now at its lowest point since 1988, dropping 26.3 percent to 12.4 million head on farms from a peak number recorded in 2005
The Canadian cattle herd continues to shrink and is at the lowest July 1 number since 1988, Statistics Canada reported in its July 1, 2018, inventory report. Breeding stock numbers are also down and many in the industry say it is unlikely to improve, at least in Western Canada, because drought and resulting feed shortages […] Read more
Alberta feedlots prepared for feed issues; producers struggle
Many regions of the Canadian Prairies expect some feed shortages this year, but Alberta feedlots have plans ready to deal those issues. Bryan Walton, chief executive officer of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, said overall conditions appear decent, although producers in drier areas have silaged barley rather than wait for harvest because of lighter crops. […] Read more
Australian farmers running out of time
Drought-hit producers slaughtered 659,000 head of cattle in June, the highest monthly figure in three years
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) — Danny Stork, a livestock farmer in Glen Oak, 180 kilometres north of Sydney, has 20 bales of hay left for his 100 head of cattle. He is now feeding them light rations in the hope the winter drought breaks. If it doesn’t, and weather forecasts suggest it won’t, he will run […] Read more
Manitoba ranch family receives stewardship award
A Manitoba ranching family has won this year’s environmental stewardship award presented by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Brian and Sonja Harper, owners of Circle H Farms at Brandon, run a forage-fed operation with about 80 cows on 500 acres. The herd consists of Lincoln Red, North Devon and Shaver Beef Blend that are grazed in […] Read more
VIDEO: Overgrazing starts with a ‘fear of wasting grass’
Grazing consultant says management can ensure the best possible use of grass, whether it is being grazed, hayed or rested
FORT MACLEOD, Alta. — It wasn’t exactly a meeting of Overgrazers Anonymous, though grazing consultant Jim Gerrish called it that, tongue in cheek. In fact, those enrolled in a three-day grazing school are probably least likely to overgraze grassland and pasture by virtue of their attendance and what they learned. Gerrish had participants take what […] Read more
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