President of American industry group sounds alarm over what he says is Brazil’s non-compliance with BSE standards
The United States, Canada and Mexico must do more to protect the North American cattle herd from illnesses such as foot-and-mouth disease and BSE that threaten the continent’s multibillion-dollar beef sector, said an American industry leader. Brazil is demonstrating it is non-compliant with the BSE standards developed by the World Organization for Animal Health in […] Read more
Doug Ferguson
Stories by Doug Ferguson
Unbranded Longhorns stolen in Alberta
Six unbranded Longhorn cattle stolen from a pasture near Highway 564 and Range Road 262 in Alberta were likely loaded and hauled away using a truck and trailer, say the RCMP. The theft occurred in Wheatland County on the evening of Aug. 22 or the morning of Aug. 23, said an RCMP statement. The location […] Read more
Film aimed to provide more peaceful look at western life
A year-long collaboration between The Western Producer and the National Film Board of Canada celebrating the newspaper’s 100th anniversary was launched Aug. 24 with a pioneering film about an Alberta cowboy taming a wild horse. Corral, which was released in 1954, won an award for best documentary at the Venice Film Festival. It was directed […] Read more
Struggling ranchers call for fix to disaster relief
Alberta Beef Producers chair wants AgriStability improved for cow-calf producers, who typically don’t have high cash flows
Changes need to be made to agricultural disaster relief and business risk management programs to better help beef producers in an era of increasing weather extremes due to climate change, says an industry leader. Producers can’t continue to keep looking for payouts from the federal and provincial governments every year to bail them out, “so […] Read more
VIDEO: Livestock producers want access to research tax credit
Canadian Beef Cattle Check-off Agency applies to join the Scientific Research and Experimental Development incentive
Beef producers could get as much as several thousand dollars per year from Ottawa if it approves access to a federal tax incentive program that encourages investment in scientific research, said an industry official. There is a total of about $4.3 million of qualifying research conducted annually by the cattle industry, said Melinda German, general […] Read more
VIDEO: Struggling ranchers call for fix to disaster relief
Changes need to be made to agricultural disaster relief and business risk management programs to better help beef producers in an era of increasing weather extremes due to climate change, says an industry leader. Producers can’t continue to keep looking for payouts from the federal and provincial governments every year to bail them out, “so […] Read more
New clubroot strains found in Alta.
New clubroot strains capable of infecting canola plants that have been bred to resist the disease have been found in fields across the Prairies, said a researcher at the University of Alberta. Twenty-five unique clubroot pathotypes were found in samples taken in 2019 and 2020 from more than 250 fields in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, […] Read more
Clubroot research receives funding boost in Alta.
Scientists hope to identify naturally occurring genes that boost resistance and then breed that resistance into new canola varieties
Researchers at the University of Alberta have received $1.25 million to look for new ways to help farmers fight clubroot, a disease threatening Canada’s multibillion-dollar canola sector. As part of a five-year research project, scientists hope to identify naturally occurring genes that boost resistance to clubroot, as well as breed such resistance into new canola […] Read more
Variable honey year likely close to average
Total honey production across the Prairies is expected to be close to average this year due to widely variable precipitation and drought that have affected crops in much of the region, said an industry leader. “I think honey production has been all over the map depending on where you’re at and how much rain the […] Read more
Struggling B.C. ranchers desperately need feed
Cattle producers are coping with a significant drought this year that is severe and widespread across the entire province
Beef producers in British Columbia, facing heat waves, drought and wildfires, are working with the provincial government to get the help they need. It includes seeking federal approval for funding under the AgriRecovery program, said Kevin Boon, general manager for the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. Provincial officials have also provided $150,000 to help beef producers find […] Read more
