VERNON, B.C. – Promoting beef as part of a healthy diet has grown into a sophisticated advertising program for the Beef Information Centre. For the last three years world-class athletes have talked up the dietary benefits of beef. The ad campaigns worked so well that recent consumer polls show as many as 80 percent of […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
4-H programs updated to meet interests of youth
KANANASKIS, Alta. – By day Mary Magee is a school music teacher but at night she’s a leader in a 75-member 4-H multi club at Wellsford, N.S. The new president of the Canadian 4-H council hopes her grassroots connections to the 43,700-member organization will be a good motivator as she visits each provincial council this […] Read more
B.C. cattle get permission to graze in protected areas
VERNON, B.C. – British Columbia ranchers can breathe a sigh of relief with the announcement that grazing will be permitted in environmentally protected areas of the province. Agriculture minister Dave Zirnhelt made the announcement at the recent B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting here. Grazing will be allowed wherever it is suitable, said the minister. The […] Read more
Stormy times loom in treaty land claims
VERNON, B.C. – Like storm clouds threatening, the upcoming native land claim settlements hover on the British Columbia skyline. With 35 treaty negotiations and overlapping land claims to be dealt with, agriculture and forestry groups wonder how the negotiations will affect their livelihood. Wendy Grant, vice-chief for B.C. for the Assembly of First Nations, told […] Read more
Both sides concerned about treaty negotiations
VERNON, B.C. – Ranchers’ rights and native rights may clash if things don’t go smoothly in upcoming land claim negotiations. Joe Gardner, manager of the Douglas Lake Ranch which was blockaded by the Upper Nicola band at the end of May, said the ranch has been drawn into a situation that is out of its […] Read more
Cowboys must push sales to reduce beef supplies
VERNON, B.C. – A steady increase in the national cow herd means one thing – more beef. As a stable, aging population, Canadians can’t eat all of the two billion pounds of beef that’s produced annually, so cattle producers must hone their sales skills to move their product to dinner plates around the world. This […] Read more
PMU farm unlike activist portrayal
BUCK LAKE, Alta. – Contented mares graze peacefully on spring grass while gangly newborn colts bound about. A small creek meanders nearby and dogs stretch out lazily in the sunshine. It’s anything but the highly charged, angst-filled atmosphere some would expect here. And it’s not the sight many animal rights activists are interested in seeing, […] Read more
Money, egos to blame for U.S. show ring cheats
CALGARY – Two American teenagers learned a costly lesson in ethics early this spring. They were forced to forfeit almost $50,000 and their trophies when their champion steers at the Western National Stock Show in Denver tested positive for a banned substance. The grand champion sold for $37,500 and the reserve went for $12,000. The […] Read more
Canadian prizes too small for cheaters
CALGARY – While some people may manipulate animals to win at Canadian stock shows, most won’t because there’s no big cash payoff in this country. Agriculture division manager Don Stewart of the Calgary Stampede said while the stampede offers a large purse for prize winners in comparison to other Canadian shows, it isn’t enough to […] Read more
Technology gains ground against illegal drug use on show circuit
CALGARY – Technology and lower tolerance are catching up to those who bend the rules at livestock shows, says an American meat scientist. Brad Morgan of the University of Oklahoma is part of a team that will educate children, parents, group leaders and agriculture teachers about the ill effects of drugs on livestock and the […] Read more
