Agriculture policy mistakes are being made in the United States with international consequences says a former lobbyist for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Some of the missteps are found in the U.S. farm bill with the continued uncertainty over country-of-origin labelling (COOL) and the push for more renewable fuel using corn as the main ingredient. […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
B.C. auctioneer tops at Calgary Stampede
Watching Peter Raffan sell at the block, it is hard to believe the veteran auctioneer was so nervous at his first competition that he had to write notes on his fingers so he would not forget what to do. After going for the silver buckle at the 20th annual Calgary Stampede International Livestock Auctioneer competition […] Read more
U.S. court ruling unlikely to affect trade
A federal judge’s ruling requiring more public comment on the United States Department of Agriculture’s decision to resume imports of beef from Canadian cattle 30 months of age and older will not stop trade or set a precedent. The decision has more to do with government procedure than stopping commerce, said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president […] Read more
Steer scores winning season
Considering the price of fat cattle these days, having a prize-winning steer is a big boost to the farm income. For Michael and Tannis Daines of Innisfail, Alta., and Lee and Dawn Wilson of Bashaw, Alta., having the grand champion at the Calgary Stampede steer classic was the culmination of a whirlwind show season. Their […] Read more
Quality-seeking Russians buy Canadian Charolais
OLDS, Alta. – A group of 500 Charolais heifers is leaving for Russia in August. Selected from purebred herds in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, with a few additions from Quebec, this is the first of two shipments. It lifts producer spirits after five years of import bans due to the BSE situation. The herd of […] Read more
Woman shearer wins at Stampede
Maria Stiglmayr went up against some of the world’s best sheep shearers at this year’s Calgary Stampede Super Shear competition and simply wanted a respectable finish. Instead, after four years of competing in Calgary, the 24-year-old Manitoba sheep farmer won the intermediate championship against bigger and stronger men from New Zealand, the United States and […] Read more
Show me the money – Special Report (story 3)
Electronic identification on every steer in every pen is part of an intricate management plan to track and monitor animals at Cattleland Feedyards. Company president Greg Appleyard’s only wish is that he received a bigger payback for being an early adopter of the technology. The feedlot in Strathmore, Alta., keeps a database of all identification […] Read more
Making traceability pay – Special Report (story 1)
At a recent Beef Improvement Federation meeting in Calgary, convention goers were met by security staff armed with wands who scanned electronic name tags identifying people and their business affiliations. It was not a gimmick but a modern approach that tracks people and products for crowd and inventory control using electronic chips and readers linked […] Read more
Sheep attacks result in charges
Four teenagers from Strathmore, Alta., have been charged with trespass and one of them charged with endangering cattle after a flock of sheep was harassed and injured. Sheep fall under the cattle classification in the criminal code. The owners of the sheep, David and Mel Smart, said in an e-mail they were upset and disappointed […] Read more
Sale handles cream of the crop
RED DEER – The Morsan Mountain High Sale was a million dollar day for the Thalen family of Ponoka, Alta., and 50 consigners selling silky coated Holstein females to buyers from around the world. Held in Red Deer July 3, the sale averaged $14,857 on 112 lots, making it one of the bright spots in […] Read more
