STRATHMORE, Alta. Ñ A decision to place 20 yearling bulls on test paid off for Highland Stock Farms of Calgary, which won an award of $25,000 from Cattleland Feedyards at Strathmore. The Cattleland battle of the bulls contest allowed the public to judge different breeds of bulls and vote for their favourites. “People picked what […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
CWB pricing option may backfire: Chatenay
CARSELAND, Alta. Ñ A new sales program to price grain using the American spot market could be too successful and undermine the Canadian Wheat Board, according to board director Jim Chatenay. The new daily price contract program is a pilot project that allows farmers to sell wheat at a posted price based on an average […] Read more
Beef industry fund to develop markets
The federal government has made a $50 million contribution to the Legacy Fund, which is a beef industry initiative to ensure long-term funding for market development and processing of Canadian beef. This money will be pooled with a $37 million contribution to the fund made by Alberta on March 7. The announcement of new money […] Read more
CLA hard concept to sell to milk drinkers
RED DEER Ñ Conjugated linoleic acid is not only a mouthful to say, it is a hard concept for consumers to swallow. And if people have never heard of this fatty acid, it would be difficult to get them to pay more for it in nutritionally enhanced dairy products, CLA is credited with lowering the […] Read more
U.S. makes changes to food export regulations
Food exporters to the United States have new rules to worry about. Charles Breen, district director for the U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration in Seattle, told exporters and Canadian government officials meeting in Calgary on March 9 that a set of interim rules have been published for the Food and Drug Act that went into […] Read more
Alberta meat plant gains momentum
A closed border seems to be the impetus southern Alberta producers needed to support a local packing plant initiative. The Northwest Cattlemen’s Alliance is holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. March 17 in Picture Butte’s community centre to present its business plan and plant design, said organizer Doug Munton. So far, 100 producers put […] Read more
Goat ID trials to start in dairies this spring
OKOTOKS, Alta. Ñ Trials for a national goat identification program are scheduled to start this spring. Several types of radio frequency identification ear tags, as well as two types of plastic dangle tags, will be tried on 1,000 animals on meat and dairy goat farms, said the president of the Canadian Goat Federation. Electronic identification […] Read more
BSE battle likely a long one
A ruling from a Billings, Montana, courtroom that prevents Canada from exporting live animals to the United States indefinitely could result in lengthy court entanglements over what was supposed to be a matter of scientific debate. U.S. district court judge Richard Cebull granted a preliminary injunction last week agreeing with a request from R-CALF to […] Read more
U.S. court case prompts Alta. to boost BSE aid
The Alberta government is adding $37 million more to its BSE recovery plan in the wake of a U.S. court decision that keeps the ban on Canadian cattle. Alberta agriculture minister Doug Horner said the industry needs to increase Canada’s slaughter capabilities, thus limiting Canada’s dependence on U.S.-based slaughter plants. Producers also need help to […] Read more
Buyers warm to pasture-raised pork
When Erik Ashworth decided to raise pigs, he knew he did not want to be another conventional pork producer. “It was a dream of mine. I didn’t want a barn but I had no firm idea how I would do it.” He and his wife Lorie formed Lorik Farms in northwestern Alberta’s Peace River region, […] Read more
