Failing to meet standards | Animal expert says many facilities are poorly designed and staff training is lacking
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Auction markets may need to beef up their animal welfare practices. “We have discovered some real issues and concerns from a welfare standpoint,” says animal behaviourist Ron Gill of Texas A & M University. “A lot of them don’t know how close they are to being in a lot of trouble.” Gill […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Feeding software made in Alberta draws international attention
OLDS, Alta. — Much of the information gained from animal feeding trials would likely not be possible without the computer technology that was first developed in Airdrie, Alta. Growsafe Systems has evolved into an international company that helps researchers and producers track how much their animals eat and drink every second of every day. The […] Read more
Adding fusarium gene to barley may cause backlash
The fight against fusarium head blight could be won with genetically modified plants. “Conventional breeding is not going to stop, but I believe we can layer on some additional benefits with a transgenic approach,” said Phil Breigtzer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who is one of the few researchers working on fusarium resistant barley. […] Read more
Two Alberta Red Angus win at Texas stock show
Two Canadian Red Angus breeders walked away with the top prizes at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas Feb. 2. Northline Angus of Ardrossan, Alta., owned by Hector Schneider and family, won grand champion female with Red Northline Plush 122Z, a summer heifer yearling. The female is co-owned with TNF […] Read more
McDonald’s making plans to modify supply chain
Sustainable beef | How the fast food chain’s sustainability initiative will affect producers remains unclear
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The McDonald’s fast food chain plans to offer sustainable beef burgers by 2016, but it’s not clear to suppliers what that means. Bob Langert, vice-president of corporate sustainability, said it is a difficult concept to define, but he insisted it will be good business for McDonald’s as well as beef producers. “We […] Read moreCanadian cattle heading south not good for packers, barley growers
Dry cows sold for as much as $100 per hundredweight in central Alberta Feb. 13. However, even with these record prices, the Canadian beef industry is on an uphill drive in low gear. Drought, BSE and a revised country-of-origin labelling law in the United States have battered the Canadian industry since 2002. The legislation, which […] Read more
Alta. breeder wins in Denver
A young Alberta Shorthorn breeder made her first trip to the National Western Stock Show worthwhile when her yearling bull took the grand championship. Jordan Buba of Spruce Grove and her bull, BISS Element 79, had already won the Canadian national championship at Farmfair International in November. She decided to give the U.S. national show […] Read more
Outstanding young farmers named in Alberta
BANFF, Alta. — Dairy farmers Richard and Nicole Brousseau of St. Paul have been named Alberta’s outstanding young farmers for 2014. Working with Nicole’s parents, Bert and Yvonne Poulin, they have 50 purebred Holsteins at Moo-Lait Family Farm. Both worked off the farm at Lakeland College in the dairy division, although neither expected to eventually […] Read more
Risk of FMD from Brazilian imports low, says vet
Fourteen Brazilian states are already considered FMD free, and trading partners must meet food safety inspection standards
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United States is considering accepting fresh beef from Brazil. Brazilian beef imports must now be cooked to guard against foot-and-mouth disease, but a proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last December could change all that. The Brazilian agriculture department has agreed to work through import rules with the USDA’s Animal […] Read moreU.S. will see ideal weather, moisture: climatologist
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An El Nino is expected to arrive this spring, bringing good growing conditions to the Western Hemisphere but doom for drought-ravaged Australia. The weather phenomenon, which is caused by warm ocean water, should deliver much needed rain to the southwestern United States and good growing conditions for the U.S. Plains, said climatologist […] Read more
