BSE cost Canadian farmers billions of dollars in lost revenue, but scientists say chronic wasting disease could be even more serious as it spreads among deer, elk and moose across North America. “It is spreading like wild fire in the environment, not only in the United States but it is in Saskatchewan and Alberta as […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
CWD research goes high tech
Scientists tracking chronic wasting disease have gone high tech. Trent Bollinger, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, has received $250,000 for each of the next three years from PrioNet Canada to study wild deer and the transmission of the fatal neurological disease that is spreading across North America. The study will […] Read more
CFIA searches for avian flu
A national surveillance program will start looking for avian influenza on Canadian poultry farms this summer. Christine Power, manager of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s epidemiology and surveillance division, said flocks will be selected at random, and blood samples will be taken from small groups of birds to see if they have been exposed to […] Read more
Mexico takes heifers again
Canadian dairy heifers are back in Mexico after a five year hiatus. Five trucks carrying 192 bred Holsteins arrived in Mexico May 2 and were destined for several farms, said Rick McRonald of the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association. More shipments were due to leave the second week of May from Walker Farms in Ontario and […] Read more
Experts seek CWD-human link
An international study to learn about potential human health risks associated with chronic wasting disease started May 1. Stefanie Czub of the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine and a senior pathologist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is leading the five-year, $5 million project. The Canadian-German study hopes to learn more about the […] Read more
Happy horse wears custom made saddle
RED DEER – One saddle does not fit all horses or riders, says a saddle maker, horse trainer and show judge from Penhold, Alta. Todd Bailey told the Mane Event horse show held in Red Deer April 25-27 that improved education about horse movement, comfort and performance has prompted changes in the way saddles are […] Read more
Farmers share frustrations, pride
CREMONA, Alta. – Three generations work together on the Gordon Reid family farm. Sons Mark, Robert and Richard and Richard’s sons, David and Phillip, meet with Gordon each morning for coffee, lay out plans for the day, check the market reports on-line and go to work on their mixed operation at Cremona in western Alberta. […] Read more
DNA test helps build ideal animal
A single hair from a 2,000 pound bull can reveal more information about that hulking beast than could ever have been imagined 10 years ago. Canadian purebred beef and dairy breed associations have submitted thousands of DNA samples over the years to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s laboratories in Saskatoon, which will soon change their name […] Read more
CFIA finds few surprises in BSE study
Steers deliberately infected with BSE at a Lethbridge laboratory have all died of the disease as expected. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency launched the project nearly three years ago by surgically infecting cattle with BSE. The steers were observed from the time of infection until they developed symptoms. By the time they were 24 to […] Read more
Whipping up batch of biofuel is a gas
CARDSTON, Alta. – When Rex Newkirk teaches farmers how to make biodiesel, it is like a day-long cooking show. The recipe is straightforward using measures of methanol, lye and oil, with adjustments for the correct chemical reaction to occur because each oil produces a slightly different result. Newkirk, with the Canadian International Grains Institute, is […] Read more
