EDMONTON — Showing cattle might be the ultimate male bonding experience for three generations of Flewelling men. Craig Flewelling, his son, Curtis, and 12 year-old grandson, Nathan, work together preparing their polled Herefords for events such as the Olds Fall Classic and Farmfair International. Their herd at Bowden, Alta., may be small at 25 cows, […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Alta. family keeps Salers dream alive
The Eigners’ mature cow won grand champion female in the All Other Breeds show held at Farmfair International
EDMONTON — Years ago the Salers breed was fully represented at Farmfair International, but in recent years that has dwindled to a single family. Russ Eigner of Care Farms at Thorhild, Alta., won the grand champion female with a mature cow in the All Other Breeds show. Working with his daughters, Sarah Eigner and Lani […] Read more
Speckle Park breeders set their sights high for the future
EDMONTON — The Speckle Park Association has a new manager with a mandate to push these unique Canadian cattle to new heights. Whitney De Decker of Roslin, Ont., has been running the association from her home province since September, taking over from long-time manager Rod Remin. She added Speckle Parks to her Simmental farm in […] Read more
African swine fever could be tough to control
A European veterinarian says biosecurity includes strong perimeter fences around hog farms, which are rare in Canada
RED DEER — African swine fever is not likely to strike Canadian hog farms but if the deadly disease should appear, it could be uncontrollable. “Canada is no more at risk than it ever has been,” said Dr. John Carr, a European veterinary swine specialist. The greatest threat could be at the borders where security […] Read moreWeaned numbers and weight called key to hog barn profits
RED DEER — Pork producers need to aim for more kilograms of weaned pigs rather than relying on barn statistics. “One of the things that concerns me about the current industry is we are pushing numbers,” said John Carr, an international swine specialist who spoke at the Red Deer swine technology workshop on Oct. 24. […] Read more
Farmfair – Day 2
These are some of the results from yesterday’s cattle shows held on the second day of Farmfair International in Edmonton. Lowline Grand champion bull: Big Island Lowlines, Darrell Gotaas, Edmonton Reserve bull: Big Island Lowlines Grand champion female: Idaho Livestock, Hayden, Idaho Reserve female: Big Island Lowlines Premier exhibitor: Fre Da Ro Farm, Enderby, B.C. […] Read more
Forage, pasture insurance due for overhaul
Alberta Beef Producers hopes work done with Alberta Financial Services Corp. will see changes made next year
INNISFAIL, Alta. — A new and improved forage and pasture insurance program is needed for Alberta livestock producers. Alberta Beef Producers formed a special committee this summer to assess the current drought impacts and if government assistance was needed for affected areas. No specific government aid is coming but after working with Alberta Financial Services […] Read morePacking plant boosts productivity by addressing cattle behaviour
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A talk about animal handling made simple by renowned animal behaviourist Temple Grandin inspired one Cargill Meat employee to take her advice and fix ongoing problems at a California plant. “Our prod scores were too high, we had a lot of balking throughout the process and cattle didn’t want to move. […] Read more
Winners declared on day one of Farmfair
The following champions were declared yesterday on the first day of purebred beef shows at Farmfair International in Edmonton. Additional photos of the winners can be found below. All Other Breeds Grand champion bull: Swiss Tradition Braunvieh, Leduc, Alta. Reserve bull: (Saler) Care Farms, Thorhild, Alta. Grand champion female: Care Farms Reserve female: (Blond d’Aquitaine) […] Read more
American animal rights activists test new tactics in court
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Animal activists have shifted to new tactics and more have started launching lawsuits on behalf of animals. While courts in the United States have not ruled in their favour, more cases from large, well-funded animal rights groups are being filed, said Michelle Pardo. Pardo is a partner in the firm Duane […] Read more
