CASTOR, Alta. – During 66 years of raising registered Herefords, Walter and Allan Blume withstood cattle cycles, hard winters, droughts, grasshoppers and BSE. But they could not fight time. With the children gone and no one interested in taking over the ranch, they decided to disperse their herd, offering more than 200 females carrying the […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
More beef trade expected but COOL looms
STRATHMORE, Alta. – Canadian cattle producers have been eagerly anticipating an open border with the United States for four and a half years but if country of origin labelling legislation passes in the U.S., trade could be awkward again. The U.S. Department of Agriculture rule published last month would allow all Canadian cattle born after […] Read more
R-CALF challenges open border
An expected court challenge to stop the resumption of imports of older Canadian cattle into the United States has been filed. R-CALF, along with 10 allies including individuals and organizations, filed against Rule 2 in a South Dakota district court Oct. 24. The complaint said the regulation would put U.S. cattle and consumers at risk […] Read more
TB case requires full trace of B.C. cattle herd
It could be months before an investigation is complete on a bull recently diagnosed with tuberculosis in Quebec. Canadian Food Inspection Agency investigators must determine where the animal might have been exposed to the disease and all animals the bull may have been in contact with must be located for testing and will be slaughtered. […] Read more
Hereford breeders worked in heady times
AIRDRIE, Alta. – Les and Marg Gilmour retired from the farm seven years ago but that doesn’t mean they are out of the agricultural loop. Hereford cattle have ruled their life since 1960. Through concentrated, well-planned breeding they developed high quality breeding cattle and became world travellers connected to like-minded breeders in Australia, the United […] Read more
No escaping cattle woes
STRATHMORE, Alta. – Tough times in the cattle business are a BSE hangover and there seems to be no relief from the headache, cattle producers say. Low cattle prices, a strong currency, high priced feed grain and unexpected costs from new BSE related regulations are taking a toll. Cattle markets follow an economic cycle of […] Read more
Canadian cattle set sail for Russia
More than 2,200 purebred beef and dairy cattle are on their way to Russia. The ship was expected to arrive in Novorossiysk, the main Russian port on the Black Sea, by Nov. 7, said Gary Smith of Alta Exports International Ltd. The shipment includes 1,000 bred Angus heifers, 50 Angus bulls, 800 Holstein heifers, 17 […] Read more
U.S. dairy farmer goes unpasteurized
Wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt proclaiming “I love raw milk,” California dairy farmer Mark McAfee travels North America selling the virtues of unpasteurized milk. He told a recent Calgary audience that using unpasteurized milk is not for everyone nor is the sale of it legal in Canada. However, it is legal in his home state, […] Read more
Review of circovirus battle instructive
RED DEER – A full blown case of circovirus disease at a southern Alberta hog operation two years ago left the farm veterinarian and manager frustrated over this serious wasting infection. At the time, circovirus was seen occasionally in young pigs but little was done about it, said swine veterinarian Pete Pawluk. One to three […] Read more
Calgary vet school opens soon
The University of Calgary veterinary school can start accepting students next fall. Approval was received from the Alberta ministry of advanced education and a letter of reasonable assurance was granted from the Council on Education representing the Canadian and American Veterinary Medical Associations. Both approvals were required before the school could accept students into the […] Read more
