Between kids’ hockey, 4-H and full-time jobs, Mike and Phyllis Verbeek still have time to raise champion level Red Angus cattle at their Beiseker, Alta., ranch. Winning the reserve grand champion Angus at the Calgary Bull Sale was a pleasant surprise but considering the bull’s pedigree, it was not unpredictable. “I thought we had a […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Cattle culling best not delayed
RENO, Nev. – Producers who want to capture as much value as possible from their cull cows and bulls shouldn’t wait too long. That is one of the recommendations from a U.S. cow and bull beef quality audit conducted in 23 packing plants in 11 states. It is the third audit since 1994. “You have […] Read more
Dairy farms look for good workers
RED DEER – Most farmers pay more attention to buying new land, cows or machinery than they do to hiring staff. “How much time would you take to hire great employees rather than average or lazy employees?” asked Bob Milligan of the University of Minnesota. He coaches potential employers to get the right workers using […] Read more
Triticale may have industrial uses
LETHBRIDGE – Triticale made its reputation as a good silage crop but 130 researchers across Canada are investigating its suitability as a source for plastics, fibre and energy. The triticale initiative is a federal-provincial program to accelerate development of the crop for industrial purposes including ethanol production. “The goal is to have an industrial biorefining […] Read more
Poultry sector under WTO cloud
RED DEER – Last year was stellar for the Canadian poultry industry, but a dark cloud is raining on chicken’s parade. The country’s chicken farmers produced a record one billion kilograms of meat last year. “We are Canada’s number one meat,” said Dave Fuller, president of the Chicken Farmers of Canada. “Consumers choose chicken more […] Read more
Hereford family scores at sale
After coming to the Calgary Bull Sale for decades, the Nixdorff family finally captured the top prize. Nels and Terri Nixdorff were awarded grand champion bull for a two-year-old Horned Hereford and received $12,500 from Misty Valley Farms of Maidstone, Sask. All five of their entries placed second or better in their classes so it […] Read more
Bull sale adds dogs, horses to draw crowds
The 108-year-old Calgary Bull Sale has become more than a cattle genetics venue with the addition of a dog and horse sale. The latter was added three years ago to revitalize the event and it has grown into a standing-room-only sale. “We want this to be a unique sale,” said Don Raffan, a rancher and […] Read more
Beef group gets promotion advice
RED DEER – Beef industry angst, caused by high debt, eroding equity, trade barriers and changing consumer tastes, is like history repeating itself, says a University of Calgary historian. Since the West opened to settlement, ranchers have faced trade disputes with the United States, bad weather and economic depression. “You will survive this and you […] Read more
Lamb nutrition starts with adequate colostrum
RED DEER – Getting lambs to market at the optimal weight is based on a conscientious feed program that starts at birth, says a Masterfeeds nutritionist. Since there is little research on lamb and sheep feeding, the company ran its own trials on a number of large flocks, said Alan Dyke at a lamb feeding […] Read more
Horse plant denies mistreatment
Disturbing pictures of alleged animal abuse at a Saskatchewan horse meat plant posted on a website are erroneous and shocking to the plant owners. “I don’t know what to say. It is not right,” said Ken Piller, chief executive officer of Natural Valley Farms at Neudorf, Sask., which processes up to 600 horses a week. […] Read more
