Better for animals | Creating a replica, including organs, enables veterinary students to practise without causing stress to real animals
An unconventional marriage between science and art has conceived an unusual teaching model for veterinarians. Alister Cribb, dean of the University of Calgary’s veterinary faculty, approached his neighbour, Russ Gray, in 2009 to build an interactive display of the back half of a cow with a calf inside. He wanted to show children at Aggie […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Ensuring adequate minerals, vitamins can be balancing act
Requirements vary Forages should be tested to measure mineral content and determine if supplements are required
A balanced nutrition program is designed around balancing calcium and phosphorus needs along with vitamins and trace minerals. Sometimes these minerals are chemically antagonistic toward each other and prevent animals from absorbing a particular nutrient. As well, minerals can be tied up in the fibrous material of the feed. John McKinnon, beef industry research chair […] Read moreNew chicken quota system may favour faster growing provinces
Chicken Farmers of Canada has signed a new quota allocation agreement to increase production across the country. All member provinces will be allowed to produce more, but provinces like Alberta and Ontario with faster growing populations could be allocated more quota. The debate over providing more quota to some parts of the country, known as […] Read more
Sustainable beef plan tested on Alta. farms
The practical side of beef sustain-ability is being tested in Alberta. For the McDonald’s fast food chain, a philosophy of sustainability in beef production is part of its future marketing plan for the billions of beef patties it sells each year. Canada will pilot the project, starting in 2016. “Producers in Canada are doing such […] Read more
Pork producers can influence profits
Cost of production study | Producers can make more money if they control costs, even when times are tough
RED DEER — Record pork prices have provided welcome relief for an industry plundered by severe losses since 2008. Losses averaged $20 per pig for the last several years, and producers abandoned the business in droves. The 370 operations remaining in Alberta need successive years of prosperity to rebuild lost equity. “We may have recovered […] Read moreHarmony Beef may open next spring
Canada’s newest beef packing plant hopes to start processing cattle next spring. Harmony Beef, located north of Calgary, plans to start taking feedlot cattle for the first six months of operation to test the new systems installed. The plant was purchased by Rich Vesta and his family last year and has been under renovation ever […] Read more
Broadacre Agriculture enters creditor protection
Broadacre Agriculture Inc., a corporate farm controlling more than 65,000 acres of Saskatchewan farmland, has entered into creditor protection. Incorporated in 2010, the company owes more than $46 million to lenders, investors and farm suppliers. You can find the complete list of creditors here. Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta granted an order on Nov. […] Read more
Mommy blogger aims to dispel myths, answer questions about farming
After five active years on social media, Sarah Schultz is becoming a woman of influence advocating for agriculture. Her Nurse Loves Farmer blog, www.nurselovesfarmer.com, is gaining momentum as she goes to bat for genetically modified crops, defends wheat as part of a healthy diet and takes on big corporations like Starbucks and A&W restaurants. All […] Read more
Animal welfare innovation gets $5 million donation
MADDEN, Alta. — Attention to the details of animal care and welfare are a priority at W.A. Ranches. The philosophy was behind a $5 million donation to the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine to support animal welfare research. The donation from Jack Anderson and his daughter, Wynne Chisholm, promotes research and innovation in […] Read more
Healthy soil comes from plants on top, microbes below
Rebuilding topsoil | Farmers need to know how to make environment conducive to microbes
OLDS, Alta. — Nature abhors a vacuum, and that includes bare patches of soil exposed to the elements. Australian soil scientist Christine Jones is among a group of researchers preaching to farmers about the importance of green plants growing on the surface and a healthy community of microbes living underground. It all starts with photosynthesis […] Read more
