VERMILION, Alta. — Grazing basics tell producers to balance livestock demand with available forage supply. The concept seems simple enough, but that balancing act requires different plans depending on the plant community, geography and cattle behaviour. “You need to graze in a sustainable way so you can come back and maintain that asset,” said Donna […] Read more
Barbara Duckworth
Stories by Barbara Duckworth
Beef promotion targets masses
EDMONTON — Alberta beef is coming to a jumbotron near you. A new campaign to promote Alberta beef is designed to capture the attention of those who like to eat beef as well as the more elusive millenials, whose opinions about food vary vastly from their parents. The new campaign, “All for the Beef,” hopes […] Read more
Alberta gov’t, grazing committee work on fair leasing rate formula
EDMONTON — Work continues on setting rental rates for Alberta’s public grazing leases. “We hope we have a framework that producers across the province can support,” Alberta Beef Producers manager Rich Smith said at the organization’s spring meeting in Edmonton June 13. “The government is looking to producers to lead the drive to produce this […] Read more
Farmers eager to educate kids about agriculture
VULCAN, Alta. — Farmers are frequently told they need to reach out to their city cousins and show them where their food comes from. One southern Alberta family took up the challenge by opening up their operation to Calgary schoolchildren for three days in May. The idea was born in 2010 when Calgary teacher Natalie […] Read more
Alta. dairy show showcases top breeds
LEDUC, Alta. — When it was time for the peewee division of the Alberta Dairy Congress, 24 youngsters between the ages of two and nine stepped into the ring to show off their heifers. The children were often accompanied by nervous parents, and an event like this brings families and friends together at the annual […] Read more
Canadian beef demand up despite higher prices
EDMONTON — U.S. cow herd expansion is the fastest in 40 years, yet the Canadian cattle population has remained stable for seven years. Recent Canadian census data showed Alberta had a three percent increase in beef cows for 2016. “We haven’t seen much change in our cattle growth, but we have seen more slaughter cattle […] Read more
China’s export slowdown may hit world markets
OTTAWA — Canada is the third largest pork exporter in the world, so it may surprise people that almost one-third of Canadian consumption is imported. “In 2012 imports reached a record high where 31 percent of the pork consumed in this country came from somewhere else,” said Michael Young of Canada Pork at the annual […] Read more
Carbon sink compensation among cattle group resolutions
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association wants producers to be rewarded for sequestering carbon in the soil. Members passed a resolution encouraging the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Round Table for Sustainable Beef to ask the federal government to implement a program that pays agriculture producers for measurable carbon sequestration that occurs […] Read more
Tracing TB origin to begin soon
EDMONTON — Producers who sold cattle to a tuberculosis-infected herd in southern Alberta can expect a letter in the mail soon from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. About 200 herds will be involved in work, starting in September, to further track the origins of the outbreak, said Karin Schmid, an Alberta Beef Producers liaison with […] Read more
Non-refundable beef levy needs plebiscite
EDMONTON — The ongoing debate over checkoffs to fund Alberta Beef Producers continues. Regulations within the marketing of agricultural products act are being amended to allow producer groups to decide on funding models and whether service charges should be non-refundable. “These amendments are the first step to a non-refundable service charge,” Alberta Beef Producers chair […] Read more
