DENVER, Colo. – The debate over mandatory country-of-origin labelling in the United States is far from over, say American meat industry experts. “It is not through, not by any stretch of the imagination,” said Herb Meischen of Cargill Meat Solutions, one of the speakers at the International Livestock Congress held in Denver Jan. 13. Derrell […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Canadians return to U.S. cattle show
DENVER, Colo. – The road to Denver for many Canadians meant 24 hour drives in sub zero temperatures on icy roads and triple checking veterinary requirements. The extra effort was worth it for many who made the lengthy journey to the National Western Stock Show where class and division winners at the Angus and Hereford […] Read more
Alberta Lowline breeders beat trail back to Denver
DENVER, Colo. – Big Island Lowlines started as a retirement project for Paul Gostaas 10 years ago. Today, the Edmonton farm has one of the largest herds of the small black cattle in North America. Darrell Gostaas, Paul’s son and president of the Canadian Lowline Association, said his family’s herd started with embryos from Australia. […] Read more
U.S. cattle show brings high prices
DENVER, Colo. – It is hard to believe there is a recession going on in the United States based on the prices paid at the purebred cattle sales at the National Western Stock Show. The Angus bull sale held Jan. 15 saw 19 bulls average $13,015. The high seller went for $75,000 for a two-thirds […] Read more
New pig feeds key to profit, say Alberta researchers
LETHBRIDGE – More new and unusual feeds will be used in the hog barn of the future to raise a bigger pig for less money. Alberta Agriculture researcher Eduardo Beltranena says 20 percent of the Canadian hog diet consists of byproducts such as dried distillers grain, meal and extruded products, but in Europe they account […] Read more
Economist ‘real nervous’ about meat sector
There was no year-end cheer in the messages from market analysts talking to grain and livestock producers’ annual meetings. The livestock sector on both sides of the border is reeling from the after shock of high grain markets in the last year, with bankruptcies and dispersals more common this year, said Richard Anderson, executive vice-president […] Read more
New barleys come with cost
BANFF, Alta. – New feed grain varieties with improved nutrient value for livestock are coming, but hog and cattle producers must be willing to pay for the quality. “We have a lot of minds that have to be changed,” said plant breeder Jim Helm at the Alberta Barley Commission annual meeting Dec. 12. “At the […] Read more
Winter pulses come with risk
Winter pulses could be a new option for farmers in northern regions. Plant breeder Kevin McPhee of North Dakota State University’s extension service told a pulse research workshop in Calgary that winter varieties of peas and lentils can produce higher yields, but there is also a greater risk of foliar disease. “We have seen on […] Read more
Effects of FMD linger among British farms
The tragedy of foot-and-mouth disease still reverberates in Great Britain, seven years after it devastated the country’s livestock industry. Farm neighbours still don’t speak to each other and export markets remain in recovery mode. Farmers and officials thought they knew how to deal with serious contagions after dealing with BSE in the 1990s, but the […] Read more
Wanting the unwanted
If Neil Kevill had his way, so little garbage would be thrown into the Mountainview County landfill that it would last far beyond its 40-year life span. Rather than being thrown away, used refrigerators or baler twine could all be recycled. “It is a natural resource that is wasted and if we are burying it […] Read more
