Bud Williams was born in 1932 on a farm in southern Oregon, where his family had horses, dairy and beef cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry and raised grain and hay. “I met him at a country square dance. We’d been married for 60 years when he died in 2012,” says his wife, Eunice. “After we […] Read more
Beef cattle
U.S. to protect farmers from packer retaliation
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing regulations to prevent meat companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry farmers who speak out on practices such as price-fixing. The USDA also said it would work with state attorneys general to investigate anti-competitive practices in the agricultural sector that contribute to inflation. The […] Read more
N.Z. to prohibit live animal exports by sea
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) — New Zealand will ban the export of livestock by sea starting April 2023, citing animal welfare concerns. The decision will affect major trading partners including Australia and China. The ban had been well flagged and comes after a ship that left New Zealand shores with nearly 6,000 cows and 43 […] Read more
Calves must be protected from clostridial diseases
Seven-way or eight-way clostridial vaccines considered producers’ best options when controlling this family of diseases
Blackleg, redwater, malignant edema and several types of clostridium perfringens can affect calves, which is why most ranchers vaccinate with a seven-way or eight-way clostridial vaccine. “This is probably the most widely used vaccine. If people don’t vaccinate against these diseases, eventually they will lose cattle,” says Dr. John Campbell of the Western College of […] Read more
Many improvements have been made on modern ranches
This article will focus on ideas I have seen demonstrated on progressive producers’ farms and ranches. The first is the biggest when it comes to handling. There are excellent hydraulic chutes on the market by many manufacturers, including ones in Alberta and Manitoba for cattle and Saskatchewan and Alberta for bison. I wish I could […] Read more
Canfax 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. Fed prices steady Alberta direct cattle sales saw dressed prices comparable with the previous week from $300-$305 […] Read more
Feedlot works to fix odour mystery
A cattle feedlot in Alberta is working with a provincial agency to reduce a foul odour that has sparked as many as 250 complaints in a nearby town. “If you live in High River, you’ve experienced the smell,” said Mayor Craig Snodgrass, who likened its maximum intensity to the pungency of manure from pig farms. […] Read more
CETA still not fully delivering
Agriculture sector wants feds to make progress on removing barriers, five years after deal was signed
Canadian and European officials celebrated five years of their trade agreement recently, but many in Canadian agriculture are still waiting to see the benefits. Canadian Cattle Association general manager Ryder Lee said beef producers are frustrated they haven’t been able to reach European markets. “There’s potential and there’s realizing it, and we’re still in that […] Read more
The smell of money not embraced by all
Agricultural operations have changed a great deal in the past 30 years and so has public sentiment about them. Even in Western Canada, where populations are less dense and many have farming memories, the not-in-my-backyard sentiments can be found pretty easily. In some cases, the risk of nutrient movement into local watersheds is real but […] Read more
Market realities differ for grain, cattle producers
What a difference a year makes. Most grain prices are significantly lower than this time last year, while cattle prices are showing a great deal of strength. In the grain sector, many reports indicate slow farmer selling. After last year’s widespread drought, most parts of Western Canada have seen a big rebound in production, so […] Read more
