Three Murray Grey producers have decided to combine science with cow sense to produce the best beef they can. Following this year’s Calgary Stampede steer show, cattle were entered in a carcass competition where the Australian breed showed its real strength as a beef machine. Sixteen Murray Greys entered the competition of 57 carcasses representing […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Cattle producers get access to genetic information
Storing genetic information to help producers make better production choices and improve beef quality is a new service at the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. The agency plans to use its database to identify economically valuable genetic traits and link it to an animal’s individual identification number. “We certainly need to identify the genetics and the […] Read more
Youth shines at Olds fair
OLDS, Alta. – The four hour trip from Athabasca, Alta., to Olds was time well spent for Chad Crest and his family. The goal was to show 11 Holstein females at the Olds Fair, which has grown into one of Alberta’s four top dairy shows. This year about 175 Holsteins and Jerseys were entered. At […] Read more
Poster boys promote beef
A new advertising campaign by Alberta Beef Producers will focus on love of the land and family. Called Raised Right, the $400,000 campaign is designed to promote beef and remind the rest of Alberta that the land and animals are being taken care of by 30,000 dedicated farm families with deep roots in the prairie […] Read more
BSE case likely caused by contaminated feed
Canada’s 12th case of BSE in a northern Alberta dairy cow likely contracted the disease from eating contaminated calf starter within a few months of its birth in 2001. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency investigation reported the cow was euthanized in early February after exhibiting locomotion problems and eventually went down. A veterinarian collected the […] Read more
Producers brace for COOL
Uncertainty swirls around the mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law in the United States as red meat producers work through costs and requirements in time for the law’s implementation Sept. 30. “There is going to be a cost incurred by Canadian livestock producers and it is going to start at the feedlot level … and it […] Read more
TB compensation planned for B.C.
The federal government will compensate British Columbia beef producers affected by a nearly year long quarantine to control bovine tuberculosis. Thirty-two ranches near Vanderhoof were quarantined after a bull was found to be infected last fall. The government is using its Agri-Recovery program to provide $186,000 to cover costs for feed and lost markets. Included […] Read more
What do U.S. labels mean to Canada?
The United States released its rules for mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) July 28. Circulated as part of the government’s 2008 farm bill, the rule covers beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken and goat as well as fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and ginseng. It has been published in the Federal Register, […] Read more
Fleckvieh improves dairy costs
BIG VALLEY, Alta. – Adding some Brown Swiss, Jersey or Montbeliarde cows to rejuvenate a Holstein herd is becoming commonplace, but one Alberta dairy turned its operation around by adding Fleckviehs from Germany. Cornel and Cremona Primrose at Big Valley are converting their Holstein based commercial dairy to Fleckvieh by importing semen from Germany to […] Read more
EU, halal certification to boost Sunterra sales
Sunterra Meats has received approval to process and export beef to the European Union. The federally inspected plant at Innisfail, Alta., which handles specialty meat products including beef, bison, sheep and goats, also achieved certification to process meats for the halal trade. A halal technician certified by the Islamic Society of North America has been […] Read more
