RED DEER — Wheat finds its way into hog and poultry operations when it is downgraded to feed quality, but it can also end up as part of a cattle ration. “Feedlot users are reluctant to use wheat because there are several concerns,” said Wenzhu Wang of Agriculture Canada. Cattle feeders often believe they should […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Cull cows provide more than ground beef for burgers
The United States conducted a cow quality audit in 2007, and recent interviews with packing plants noted some of the same problems are still present:
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Cull cows have achieved record prices in the last few years and are an important part of the entire beef complex. They end up at packing plants, where more than 40 percent of product is marketed as whole muscle cuts, depending on how valuable ground beef might be in the current […] Read moreNew PED case found in Ontario
Ontario confirmed another case of porcine epidemic diarrhea Feb. 20 on a farrow to finish operation in Oxford County. Announced Monday, this is the third case reported in the province this month. About 100 cases have been found in Canada with most in Ontario and Quebec, said Alberta veterinarian Egan Brockhoff during a conference today. […] Read more
BSE case prompting more countries to ban Canadian beef
Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday it has banned imports of Canadian beef products following the confirmation of BSE in an Alberta beef cow. That decision follows earlier announcements from South Korea, Indonesia, Peru and Belarus that imports were temporarily halted. “We’ll know in the next week if there will be more countries or […] Read more
BSE cow born after feed restrictions put into place
Canada’s latest case of BSE was discovered in an Alberta cow born March 2009, two years after a stronger feed ban to reduce disease risk became law. The cow died on a farm near Spruce Grove, north of Edmonton, Alta. and the birth farm was located Feb. 17. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently […] Read more
Beef sector in throes of major transition
Improved genetics have increased productivity but the industry may need new strategies to help rebuild cow numbers
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Three decades of slow decline have forced considerable change within the entire North American cattle complex. “The North American cattle and beef industries are undergoing rapid transition,” said Pete Anderson, director of research at Midwest PMS, a cattle nutritional supplements company in Colorado. From the cow-calf to the feedlot sector, operations […] Read moreRough handling could jeopardize business
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Rough handling of animals in public auction barns continues to be a problem, says the chair of the Livestock Marketing Council in the United States. “As an industry, we have to address this,” said John Rose of Montana, who chairs the council representing auction markets, order buyers and other livestock sales […] Read more
Age of Alberta cow key to determining form of BSE
The most important piece of information to be learned during the investigation into Canada’s latest BSE case is not where the cow was found. “The important thing is when was it born: before the extended feed ban, which was 2007, or was it born after the extended feed ban? Then I think one has to […] Read more
Ranchers use processing as marketing tool
Texas breeders found best way to prove the quality of their cattle was to slaughter on-farm and promote locally
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Bob McClaren thinks he has figured out a business plan that could keep his 100-year-old Texas ranch solvent for the next generation. The operation was originally a cotton farm established in 1909 by McClaren’s great-grandfather, Sherwood McClaren, but it has evolved into a large Angus seed stock provider that sells cattle […] Read moreUse antimicrobials responsibly, say veterinarians
Officials urge livestock industry to seek alternative treatments when possible to ward off criticism from the public
OLDS, Alta. — Bacteria showing resistance to antimicrobials is a complex and unpredictable problem. It is also a natural phenomenon, but growing public pressure is forcing veterinarians and livestock producers to reconsider their use of antimicrobials. Besides passing resistant bacteria into the food chain, many consumers worry about drug residues in meat. Drug residues may […] Read more
