VANCOUVER – If not for BSE appearing almost four years ago, Canada could have been a contender in the world beef arena. Instead, says the chair of the Canada Beef Export Federation, setbacks continue and it might be time to take a more aggressive stance “A strong Canadian dollar for most of the year, higher […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Beef research institute planned
A new economic research institute should relieve some of the information gaps dogging the Canadian beef industry. That lack of good economic research on cattle markets and pricing left Canada unprepared to understand the affects of the BSE crisis, said Kurt Klein, an agriculture economist at the University of Lethbridge. “We hope we can fill […] Read more
Mistakes cause costly food recalls
VANCOUVER – When pets and their owners started to get sick, the cause was traced to improperly processed dog treats containing salmonella. That is one of many food recalls that public health inspectors have been involved with in recent years, says a British Columbia public health inspector. Food recalls can be costly and time consuming […] Read more
Stable keepers may form group from February 15, 2007
Commercial stable keepers are proposing an industry association to address the growing horse business in Alberta. “There is $30 million worth of horse business that goes on in Alberta,” said Jeanette Coote, who is part of a group hoping to develop an association to build consistent business and safety standards as well as improve communication […] Read more
Fat’s positive spin puts shine on meat
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – According to revised dietary guidelines in the United States, eating the right kind of fat can improve human health. That could be good news for the beef industry, which has been chasing after fat-avoiding consumers since the mid-1970s when food guides identified excessive fat consumption as a leading cause of heart disease […] Read more
Circovirus disease still baffles vets
BANFF, Alta. – Brent Jones saw three types of pigs when he first discovered circovirus in his hog veterinary practice. He called them the walking dead, the survivors that were set back five or six weeks but managed to live, and those with no apparent symptoms. “You would have individuals that were totally destroyed pigs […] Read more
New ration formula may lower hog costs
BANFF, Alta. – A European system assessing the net energy of livestock feed ingredients could help reduce ration costs and improve carcass quality. Feed costs can make up as much as 70 percent of the hog production bill, with energy being the biggest expense. Jean Noblet of the French nutrition company Inra helped developed a […] Read more
U.S. beef industry urged to improve cattle ID system
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The United States will not regain its former strong export position without a functioning national identification system. That was the message an American cattle producer delivered to a committee meeting at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Nashville last week. Rick Stott told the committee that the U.S. cannot meet the […] Read more
Feedlot practices hurt marbling
A decline in marbling quality is being linked to feedlot practices such as the increased use of distillers grain. A recent report from the Certified Angus Beef program in the United States attempted to analyze a perceived decline in beef quality in which large price premiums could be lost for meat that does not contain […] Read more
Marbling problems unclear: vet
While many theories exist about what influences beef marbling, a southern Alberta feedlot veterinarian says observations of declining marbling may be based on anecdotes rather than scientific evidence. Kee Jim of Feedlot Health Services in Okotoks agrees a correlation exists between feedlot practices and marbling. “We know several production practices either increase or decrease marbling,” […] Read more
