OLDS, Alta. – Alberta producers have options when they need to get rid of dead livestock and poultry. “Alberta Agriculture oversees dead animal regulations and they don’t have any plans to stop natural disposal, like some of the other provinces have done,” department official Virginia Nelson told a recent seminar in Olds. Besides natural disposal, […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Alta. Hereford wins the big one
BOWDEN, Alta. – As a farm boy growing up in Ontario, Tom McNeely pored over purebred cattle magazines and hoped that one day he would be pictured on those pages with a championship banner from a major show. That happened this year when his home-raised bull, Golden Oak Outcross 18U, was named spring bull calf […] Read more
Beef industry updates nutrition info
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nutritional research has come a long way from the 17th century when it was noticed iron filings in wine seemed to help anemic patients. In the last 50 years the number of […] Read more
Demand for water increasing in Alta.
FORT MACLEOD, Alta. – Farmers will need to fight to maintain their present share of water supplies as demands to allocate more water for urban and industrial use increases, said an Alberta Agriculture water expert. “Agriculture has always had an extremely large share of Alberta water,” said Roger Hohm of the department’s water resources branch. […] Read more
Air filters fight swine disease
BANFF, Alta. – The PRRS virus is a challenging swine disease in Eastern Canada, the United States and Mexico that is hard to remove even under the strongest biosecurity plans. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome in 2005 cost North American hog producers $250 million due to declines in average daily gain and feed efficiency in […] Read more
U.S. ag faces hurdles
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – Charlie Stenholm says he is leaving a U.S. federal government in turmoil. “It is no secret this administration has inherited one hell of a mess,” the recently retired 26-year Democratic congressman told […] Read more
Grey skies in meat sector
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – The world economic crisis has hurt United States meat exports and lowered cattle prices, but like all cycles, it too shall pass. “I think we are going to see prices improve for […] Read more
Beef seller outlines new marketing plan
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – Japan, South Korea, Canada and Mexico are the prime beef sales targets for JBS Swift Co., says its senior vice-president for international sales. These countries are strong meat consumers, politically stable and […] Read more
More BSE likely: CFIA
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – Canada is likely to find more BSE in cattle born after the 1997 feed ban, says a Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinarian. Audits on feed mills in 2005 found violations in a […] Read more
U.S. feed ban fails to address rendering issue
Calgary livestock analyst Barbara Duckworth recently covered the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and filed these reports. PHOENIX, Ariz. – A long awaited feed ban in the United States goes into effect this spring. The rule, which was released last April, is intended to keep BSE out of the American animal feed […] Read more
