CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Biden administration said on Monday it was awarding another US$12 million in grants to upgrade and expand three meat and poultry processing facilities in the U.S. Midwest, as part of a broader US$1 billion effort to encourage competition in a highly consolidated industry. The three projects, funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, […] Read more
Beef cattle
COP15 agreement ‘not bad for the beef business’
Cattle industry says the international biodiversity framework allows each country to determine how goals are achieved
A final agreement at the United Nations’ Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal recently came during the early morning hours of the last day of the meeting with its landmark arrangement of protecting 30 percent of the planet’s ecosystems by 2030. By adopting the non-binding agreement formally known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the […] Read more
Sask. veterinary prof launches beef cattle health podcast
A University of Saskatchewan veterinarian is looking to give cattle producers a new tool to better understand animal health with the launch of the Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition podcast. “We’re trying to aim it at producers, so you want to make it as practical as possible and get the information that we learn from […] Read more
Positive cattle message can be difficult to deliver
Producers struggle to convince consumers that their work not only produces food but also has environmental benefits
The hundreds of cattle on Ryan Canart’s backgrounding operation have helped him rebuild the soil, improve the local water table, preserve natural habitat and boost biodiversity. For him, it’s achieving a goal he set years ago. “When I came out of university, I wanted to do a practice that maximizes the productivity and health of […] Read more
Animals can suffer from a wide variety of bone diseases
This is the time of year when I prepare to teach the University of Calgary’s second year veterinary students about bone diseases. One could make all sorts of arguments about why bones are important for animal health and are an interesting system to study. But it really boils down to this: as Dr. Andy Allen […] Read more
U.S. carbon farming takes root — but do the economics add up?
UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — The owner of Deep Roots Farm in rural Maryland and her workers finished the fall harvest last month, but some of their most vital plantings are still in the ground – and growing fast. Four species of cover crops – plants such as winter rye and hairy vetch, […] Read more
Sustainability projects need more private investors
Canada has an enriching opportunity to become one of the winners of the global race to develop sustainable agriculture, says The Next Green Revolution report. But that opportunity is unlikely to be seized if Canada doesn’t invest a lot more money in agricultural sustainability research and development. “Canada’s heft in global agricultural markets, its longstanding […] Read more
The greener side of concrete
Roller compacted concrete is becoming a key tool for maintaining a sustainable cattle feeding sector in Alberta. Ten to 20 percent of Alberta’s feedlot industry has installed RCC, a material with the same ingredients as conventional concrete but applied as a drier mix without need for forms or finishing and compacted with rollers. Feedlot owners […] Read more
One third of the world’s carbon tamed by grass
Grasslands might not capture the imagination of the public like the Rocky Mountains, the lakes of Manitoba or the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield but efforts are underway to acknowledge the native prairie’s role in preventing climate change. “Climate change is happening and that’s because of carbon in the atmosphere,” said Cameron Carlyle, associate […] Read more
Agribition impresses first-time visitors
International visitors return to the annual event after pandemic travel restrictions eased, and they like what they found
The international presence at Canadian Western Agribition is returning to pre-pandemic levels. After only about 100 visitors from 20 countries visited in 2021 due to travel restrictions, the 2022 show saw 1,200 guests from 63 countries. Jeremy Walsh from Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, was a first-time visitor who said the show exceeded all his […] Read more
