Boom times in Alberta mean the province will put more money into crowded highways and aging schools. A one-time release of $260 million from the provincial budget surplus will be shared for capital costs in schools, roads and medical equipment. This is money over and above what is provided for in the next capital budget. […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Pig producers could seek refuge in language
BANFF, Alta. – Learning politically correct lingo could help prevent hog producers from making a stink with the public. The hog industry has had its name smeared in the muck recently because people object not only to the smell, but the concepts of confinement housing, said a University of Minnesota agricultural engineer. Refining the language […] Read more
Tracking causes of E. coli bacteria a tedious task
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Tracing the deadly path of E. coli 0157:H7 is complicated detective work. Scientists are just starting to unravel the mystery of this potentially fatal pathogen. “We share the world with bacteria and most never cause any problems,” said Doug Viera of the University of Manitoba at the international beef symposium in Lethbridge […] Read more
Cattle producers should breed for meat quality
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Most cattle producers know how to select sires that bring obvious improvements to their beef herds. Higher growth rates, no horns and even a gentler temperament are possible when breeders know the history of the bulls they mate to their cows. With improved understanding of which qualities are highly heritable and which […] Read more
Tailoring beef for overseas is risky
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – As new international beef markets open up, some producers feel they need to alter their herds to meet the whims of the overseas trade. But that is risky business, says one meat scientist. “Exports are increasing but you have to make a decision as to whether you breed for that market,” said […] Read more
Cattle i.d. technology proving difficult to track down
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – An identification system that tracks individual cattle through the food chain is coming but the trick is deciding what technology to use. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association initiated a national identification system this year that aims to provide animal information for producers and their customers. During the recent international beef symposium held here, […] Read more
Alta. feedlots yawn at freer steer trade
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – A project intended to balance the steer deficit in Alberta is off to a slow start. The North West Cattle Project needs streamlining and less red tape, said some industry officials at an international beef symposium held here last week. The project was introduced in October 1997 as a pilot program designed […] Read more
Private funds key to food research
During the next five years, Canada’s food sector needs an injection of new research funding, says a national agriculture research council. But the industry should look as much to private as to public sources to fill the gap. And it should concentrate research dollars on projects that meet market needs, the Canadian Agricultural Research Council […] Read more
Cattle can blame cold for pigging out
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – When the mercury disappears from view on a farm thermometer, feed costs soar. Winter feeding of the beef cow is the single most important cost in cow-calf production, averaging about 30 percent of total production costs in 1994. In real figures, it accounts for $33.25 per 100 pounds of calf weaned, said […] Read more
Alberta feedlots may look to Montana
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – If Alberta feedlots are to expand to finish four million head of beef cattle annually, some people are asking where the extra steers will come from. The provincial government is encouraging major expansion because it believes the beef sector is a regional rather than a provincial industry. In 1998, the province has […] Read more
