Feed wheat and barley prices in Western Canada have slowly trended lower over the past few months, with prices for both grains now on par with imported corn from the United States into the key Lethbridge feedlot alley. All three grains are trading at around $410 per tonne into Lethbridge, according to Jim Beusekom, president […] Read more
Beef cattle
Stolen cattle recovered in Sask.
A 48-year-old man faces criminal charges after Saskatchewan and Alberta RCMP recovered 10 head of cattle that were stolen in Thorhild, Alta., and taken to a pasture near Martensville, Sask. The recovered cattle are worth more than $25,000. In February, the Alberta RCMP Livestock Investigations Unit launched an investigation after 30 cattle were reported missing […] Read more
Enzyme can switch off livestock drugs
An antimicrobial gene in bacteria creates an enzyme that can deactivate certain medications used to treat livestock
Scientists have found that an antimicrobial resistance gene in bacteria collected at a western Canadian feedlot creates an enzyme that can deactivate drugs used to treat diseases in cattle and other livestock. The EstT enzyme can affect macrolides antibiotic drugs such as tylosin, also sold as Tylan, which is a common additive in feed to […] Read more
Study looks for cattle resiliency to heat and cold
University of Alberta research will compare the effect of temperature extremes in the same cattle under natural conditions
Scientists are trying to determine if cattle in Alberta being selected as more feed efficient are also more resilient at coping with extremes in heat and cold. “Our cows here, they are exposed throughout the year to these huge variations in temperature, and we need to look at them and see what’s going on,” said […] Read more
Johne’s less prevalent in Western Canada than in the East
Johne’s is a bacterial infection that results in chronic diarrhea that leads to weight loss, wasting and eventual death. The disease is primarily seen in mature cows. The bacterium that causes the disease is referred to as MAP (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis) and the disease is sometimes also known as paratuberculosis. The MAP bacterium that causes […] Read more
Research finds drone benefits for bison farms
New study determines that the ability to check on these big and volatile animals from afar increases efficiency and safety
CAMROSE, Alta. — There is plenty the two self-confessed cowboys don’t know about bison, but they do know technology used in other industries could be valuable bison management tools. “There are a lot of things the cattle industry has that could be beneficial to the bison industry. How can we gather that valuable data for […] Read moreCanfax report
This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. Smaller fed volume Western fed steers climbed over $4 per hundredweight last week and ended at $350.70 […] Read more
FMD vaccine bank announced in federal budget
Federal finance minister Chrystia Freeland has tabled the 2023-24 budget, promising funding for a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank and more funding for eastern Canadian farmers to move away from imported fertilizer. The budget allocated $57.5 million over five years, beginning this fiscal year, to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to establish the FMD vaccine bank […] Read more
Japan removes final BSE restrictions on Canadian beef
One of the last vestiges of the BSE disaster of the early 2000s in Canada will be ending now that the Japanese government has agreed to allow processed beef into the country for the first time in two decades. “Our government will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our ranchers and processors who export the finest and […] Read more
Cow-calf sector looks for solutions
KISBEY, Sask. – Sitting in a small office attached to his machine shop, Darren Ippolito paused for about five seconds before answering a question. Then, he started to laugh. Related stories: Ag policies called biased toward grain Canada’s cow-calf exodus Ippolito had been asked if a large group of cattle producers in south-eastern Saskatchewan and […] Read more
