NASHVILLE, Tenn. – This year’s highly anticipated U.S. corn crop must reach a record 12 billion bushels or else shortages will develop and prices will rise further, says a U.S. cattle market analyst. With the dramatic growth of corn-based ethanol plants in the United States and the feed demands of a massive livestock industry, supply […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
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
Producers struggle to meet feedlot demands
BROOKS, Alta. – Giving feedlots the kind of cattle they want starts with calf producers, but they may feel the demands are heavy and profits paltry. Each sector of the beef industry wants to make a profit, says nutritionist Dwight Karren of Lethbridge, but often they don’t understand what is required to get there. “All […] Read more
Alternative feed gains momentum in livestock sector
BANFF, Alta. – Increased competition for grain has encouraged European pork producers to use alternative feeds from the food processing and bioenergy sectors. “The utilization of coproducts is quite high in animal feed,” said Coen Smits of the Nutreco Swine Research Centre, an international feed and genetics company based in the Netherlands. Western Canada is […] Read more
Biofuel may stifle livestock expansion
BANFF, Alta. – Pork production has been increasing worldwide, but the high cost of feed grain threatens to slow down the North American industry. The booming biofuel industry is gobbling up more corn in the United States, driving up grain prices and lowering profits for the livestock sector. Larry Martin, chief executive officer of the […] Read more
Novel feed may save money
BANFF, Alta. – Using novel feed grains and pulses in hog diets could shave costs for producers while maintaining good nutrition and pork quality. Alberta Agriculture pork researcher Eduardo Beltranena is a champion of triticale and zero tannin fababeans. Research is proving these crops could be offered as suitable alternatives to feed wheat, barley and […] Read more
Phosphorus can be tricky to manage
LETHBRIDGE – Crops effectively mine the soil for nitrogen, but two agriculture researchers say phosphorus uptake is another matter. Studies conducted since 2001 have shown that excessive application of manure causes phosphorus to accumulate and pose environmental risks, particularly to water. “After five years of annual application of manure and compost based on the nitrogen […] Read more
