Former prime minister says the biggest blow to Canada and Mexico would be the potential loss of investment in those countries
RED DEER — Canada and Mexico will be the losers if negotiations to strike a new North American Free Trade Agreement fail, said former Prime Minister Stephen Harper A collapse of NAFTA will not hurt the United States as much because no one will stop investing there but they may shy away from Canada or […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Supplements no guarantee against deficiencies
Five-year cow-calf study in Western Canada found that about 75 percent of cows were copper deficient or marginal
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Adult cattle on good vaccination and mineral programs may still suffer from deficiencies that affect their health. Studies in Canada and the United States show copper is often the most deficient trace mineral. A five-year, western Canadian cow-calf study showed about 75 percent of cows tested were copper deficient or marginal. “It […] Read more
Quality puts Canadian beef in hammer seat
RED DEER — The top 10 beef exporters of the world account for 90 percent of the trade, but each services very different markets. Canada and the United States dominate as the source of quality beef. Countries such as Brazil and India are major exporters, but that beef is of a different quality and price, […] Read more
Changing demographics to shift food demand
Ethnicity and stage of life influence food purchases; market diversification and fragmentation are also factors
RED DEER — Aging baby boomers, maturing millennials and more immigrants are changing the Canadian landscape. “The demographics and economic changes we are going to experience in the coming decades are not going to be extensions of what past trends have been,” said Andrew Ramlo, executive director of the market intelligence firm Urban Futures. Demographics […] Read more
Dry prairie summer expected
RED DEER — It could by a hot, dry summer for the Canadian Prairies if long-range forecasts prevail. The current La Nina is dying and an El Nino is forming, said climatologist Art Douglas, professor emeritus at Creighton University in Nebraska. “Going forward in the spring and summer I would look at El Nino coming […] Read more
Clashing minerals could cause interference
Scientists are just starting to understand the mineral relationship with antagonists and how it can lead to deficiencies in livestock
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Getting enough vitamins and minerals into livestock is challenging, but sometimes chemical reactions among these products can also lead to deficiencies. Producers must read the labels on the minerals they buy because the sources of the products may vary and they could interfere with one another and reduce their efficacy. “Mineral antagonisms […] Read more
Water scarcity sees cotton farm shift to tourism
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — When the Caywood family declares they are fair to middling, they may not be talking about a state of mind. Fair to middling to ordinary are grades for cotton, which the family grows on its 250-acre farm at Casa Grande. However, all that is changing as water becomes scarcer in the […] Read more
ABP, feeders work on new checkoff
Alberta Beef Producers and Alberta Cattle Feeders Association propose new agreement for sharing $2 per head levy
RED DEER — Alberta beef groups hope to have a new funding arrangement with a new level of co-operation in place by next year. Alberta Beef Producers and the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association have proposed a New Era Beef Industry Agreement to split the $2 per head levy charged on every animal sold. However, some […] Read more
Volatile beef market expected to continue
A feedlot owner could be looking at a final selling price ranging from $2,200 to $3,000 per animal during the course of a year
RED DEER — Major price volatility continues in the Canadian beef market. Prices fluctuate day to day and that can affect the bottom line for cow-calf and feedlot operators, said Brian Perillat, senior analyst for Canfax. “Even within a few months they can change a lot. Fed cattle prices can fluctuate $700 to $800 throughout […] Read more
Resistance to dewormers can be managed
Parasite pressure may not be out of control, but producers could see lower reproduction rates and weaning weights
PHOENIX, Ariz. — The last new deworming product came out in 1998 and efficacy was nearly 100 percent. That is not the case today as resistance to parasites is being reported around the world. “We have currently no new molecules coming to the market,” said veterinarian Douglas Ensley with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. “I see […] Read more
