Trans Pacific Partnership | Country seeks ‘regulatory coherence’
BANFF, Alta. — More than 25 years of working in the open market has turned New Zealand into an aggressive marketer that is pressuring for even greater access for its farm products. It is also leading the charge for zero tariffs among potential members of the Trans Pacific Partnership. “It is going to be a […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Water a growing concern for Florida ranch
DADE CITY, Fla. — Cattle first arrived in Florida on the ship of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521. Today, Florida has a million cows with Brahman, Angus and Hereford being the most common. “Florida’s hidden industry is the cattle industry,” said Larry Barthle, who is a partner in Barthle Brothers Ranch north […] Read more
Agriculture may be victim in U.S. plan to boost economy
Agriculture linked to housing, energy market | Federal Reserve policies send land and cattle feed prices up
TAMPA, Fla. — Economist Michael Swanson has a riddle he likes to ask: how does someone become a millionaire in Iowa? The answer: sell 80 acres of farmland. Swanson said agriculture is caught in the crossfire of U.S. government policy that attempts to relieve unemployment, buoy up the housing market and maintain the ethanol industry, […] Read moreMilk down, yogurt up in dairy consumption
RED DEER — Canadians are drinking less milk, but their taste for yogurt is growing, says a University of Alberta food market researcher. “Yogurt is the one product that is having this absolutely massive year over year increase in sales, particularly from about 1997,” Ellen Goddard said at the Western Dairy Conference held in Red […] Read more
Ranch focuses on good stewardship
Two Rivers Ranch | Operators of 17,000 acre operation make good stewardship and water management a priority
TAMPA, Fla. — Two Rivers Ranch is a living laboratory for grass and water management in central Florida. “We see our role not in the pounds of beef but in what good stewards we can be with private ownership,” said ranch owner Robert Thomas. Purchased for 10 cents an acre in 1932 by entrepreneur Wayne […] Read more
Sask. family sells Simmental for $190K
Prize bull | SVS Captain Morgan sets North American record price for purebred sire
A black Simmental bull from Sask-atchewan has sold for $190,000, a North American record. SVS Captain Morgan 11Z, raised by Sunny Valley Simmentals of Hanley, Sask., had already garnered a lot of attention before sale day March 6. The Dimler family of Double Bar D Farms in Grenfell, Sask. was the new owner when the […] Read more
Sale results show optimism, youth are returning
Interest growing | Breeders say an increasing demand illustrates a new outlook
The Calgary Bull Sale may be a shadow of its former self, but it continues to draw a group of dedicated consignors. “This is their main marketing avenue, not just for sales but for promotion of their business,” said Doug Finseth, president of the Alberta Cattle Breeders Association, which has organized the event for 113 […] Read more
Herd expansion hangs on feed supply
Beef numbers down | Ranchers will be looking to rebuild herds, says CCA president
The Canadian beef herd remains stable at 12.3 million cattle with some regional expansion happening in the West. The Statistics Canada herd inventory report for Jan. 1 said numbers had gone up by about half a percent from last year with fewer beef cows but some increase in heifer retention. However, with more cows going […] Read moreMedicine Hat bull sale posts respectable averages
The 55th annual bull sale in Medicine Hat, Alta., March 13 posted respectable averages on a good offering of 70 Hereford and 40 Angus herd sires from southern Alberta. The Hereford sale averaged $4,462. Bar Pipe Hereford Ranch of Okotoks, Alta., consigned the high selling bull for $15,000 to Durbin Creek Ranch in Wyoming. Bar […] Read more
Calgary Co-op’s pork, egg suppliers get marching orders
Calgary Co-op members voted in favour of buying the co-operative’s egg and pork from suppliers who use animal welfare systems at their annual meeting March 13. The original resolution asked that within three years the store should buy only from suppliers who do not use battery cages for laying hens or gestation stalls for sows. […] Read more
