Purebred cattle breeders supply the commercial market with bulls, but ranchers and feedlots operators say breeders should listen more to their needs. Tom Fenwick manages Tongue Creek Ranch in the Alberta foothills. The 14,000-acre spread of mostly native grass is home to 700 commercial Angus cows with plans to grow to 850 cows using purebred […] Read more
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Angus show attracting more youngsters
OLDS, Alta. — One way to get young people involved in agriculture is to give them something meaningful to do where they can learn new skills and have fun doing it. One of these events is the annual Canadian Junior Angus Showdown. It was held in Olds this year from July 16-18 and attracted 118 […] Read more
Honking-big horns get crowd’s attention
RED DEER — It isn’t often that city slickers flock to a cattle show, but when the Texas Longhorns come to town, everybody stops for a look. The Canadian National Texas Longhorn Show held at Red Deer’s Westerner Days July 18 pulled in folks who lifted children onto their shoulders for a better look, while […] Read more
Settlement reached in XL Foods recall case
A $4 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against XL Foods following Canada’s largest ever beef recall. A hearing will be held this fall in Edmonton to approve the settlement, said Linda Visser of Siskinds LLP in London, Ont. The law firm represents anyone harmed in connection with the recall of […] Read more

VIDEO: How Foghorn the rooster got new feet
After a couple of stumbles, a rooster named Foghorn is now putting his best foot forward, thanks to an engineering feat from the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine and school of mechanical engineering. Foghorn was a backyard chicken in Calgary who lost his feet due to frostbite. He was barely walking on bloody […] Read more

World’s Charolais fans gather for Alberta tour
BOWDEN, Alta. — Michel Baudot and Clement Perrodin raved about their first rodeo, which they attended while visiting the Ponoka Stampede. However, the two French Charolais enthusiasts were not quite so sure about the Canadian style of cattle. Charolais is known as the great white breed, but Baudot and Perrodin found it jarring to see […] Read more

Urbanites seek ‘garden fresh’
When John Mills explains the concept of community shared agriculture to his city clients, he speaks plainly about sharing the bounty and the risk. Last year at this time, his Bowden, Alta., farm had received 200 milli-metres of rain. This year there has been barely a trace of moisture. Weather can be a setback in […] Read more
Beef cattle study seeks to identify cause, treatment for lameness
A two-year study on lameness in feedlot cattle found that the problem is more common than previously thought. “Lameness is a significant health problem in the feedlot and it deserves more attention,” said Karen Sch-wartzkopf-Genswein of Agriculture Canada at Lethbridge. Researchers checked eight years’ worth of health records from 26 feedlots and visually appraised hundreds […] Read more
Alta. auditor general questions grazing leases
The Alberta auditor general says some grazing leaseholders are deriving more benefits from the land than just grass and water for their livestock. A report released July 6 said the province receives about $4 million a year in rent on public land but some leaseholders gain far more if energy companies pay them for access […] Read more
Agribusiness student excited with top prize
A steer named Vince has earned its owner $15,000 in a single payday. Led out by Katie Serhienko of Maymont, Sask., the crossbred was named grand champion July 12 at the Calgary Stampede’s Junior Steer Classic. “This was my biggest win ever and it was exciting,” said Serhienko, eying the $15,000 gigantic cheque propped up […] Read more