RED DEER – Lee Davis raised his cap to reveal a head of grey hair as a symbol of the Canadian cattle rancher. Too old, too tired and too broke summed up his feelings at a BSE rally held in Red Deer March 31. “Who cares anymore? You look around the room and the meetings […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Questions linger over handling of BSE
RED DEER – Larry Sears added his name as a representative plaintiff to a class action lawsuit out of frustration. He was unhappy with the government over damage that was caused to the beef business after BSE was found in Canada in 2003. The Stavely, Alta., area rancher was chair of the Alberta Cattle Commission […] Read more
Alta. biofuel credit gets extension
An Alberta biofuel credit program has been extended another five years. Alberta Energy’s BioEnergy Producer Credit Program encourages companies to build more ethanol and biofuel capacity by offering per litre incentives. The program covers biofuel produced from grain, oilseeds and agricultural and municipal waste. The incentive offers nine cents per litre for production from biofuel […] Read more
Checkoff funds alfalfa industry
BROOKS, Alta. – It’s been almost a year since Alberta alfalfa growers formed their own commission to fund research and raise their profile. The industry was previously represented by an association that spoke for 120 growers of pedigreed alfalfa seed on irrigated land. The decision to form the Alfalfa Seed Commission last summer meant collecting […] Read more
Grocer touts meatless meals
A disgruntled shopper wants to use social networking media to complain to a national grocery chain about its promotion of meatless meals. Laura Bodell of Sherwood Park, Alta., was prompted to take action after reading a short article in Sobeys’ Inspired magazine that promoted meatless meals as a way to save the environment. She wants […] Read more
Study outlines issues
RED DEER – A two-year cattle trucking study has opened the door to more research that could improve livestock codes of practice. The study involved nearly half a million cattle and 10,000 short and long distance haulers who delivered animals across the continent. “It really gave us a flavour of what is happening in the […] Read more
Transportation courses benefit industry, says CFIA
RED DEER – Educating livestock truckers has helped improve the health of farm animals shipped to auctions, feedlots and packing plants. Teaching people how to do the job properly is more beneficial than writing them a ticket, said cpl. Dave Heaslip, an RCMP livestock investigator in northern Alberta. “With the number of livestock we have […] Read more
Farmers link with buyers
As an organic beef producer, Tim Hoven has dealt with two kinds of customers. There are those who think he is ripping them off with high priced organic steaks and those who readily pay the asking price. Hoven sells his beef through farmers’ markets and direct sales. He wants people to understand the price is […] Read more
More milk, fewer calves?
RED DEER – Pushing dairy cows to produce more milk has been linked to fertility problems. “If performance or fertility really have gotten worse since Grandpa’s time, to what extent can we blame it on higher production,” said Stephen LeBlanc of the Ontario Veterinary College at Guelph. His large scale study of dairy statistics failed […] Read more
Rise in milking parlours linked to foot problems
RED DEER – Modern dairy cows are raised for high milk production, but the trade off appears to be foot problems. Twenty percent of the world’s dairy herds report problems with sore feet and lameness, says researcher Christer Bergsten of the Swedish Dairy Association. “Foot problems are the main background to lameness,” Bergsten told the […] Read more
