Mary MacArthur

EDMONTON – Large corporations rather than governments are setting the standards for farm animal welfare, says a Canadian adviser to the American fast food industry. David Fraser, an animal welfare professor from the University of British Columbia, told the Alberta Farm Animal Care association conference that provincial and federal governments have backed away from setting […] Read more

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Choice is the name of the game in this northern British Columbia city. If a farmer doesn’t like the price Agricore United is offering, he can drive across the street to Pioneer, Louis Dreyfus or Parrish & Heimbecker. If he has feed grain he can take it to Wanham Valley Feeds […] Read more

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. – Tumbler Ridge is a company town that lost its company and survived. Instead of having its homes hauled away on a flat deck truck, the town has defied the odds and become a community with a future. When Quintette Coal Ltd. announced in 2000 it would close its mine early because […] Read more

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. – Alberta farmers George and Debbie White look forward to the day when they can sell their 100 head of cattle and move permanently to this northeastern British Columbia playground. “This is like Canmore without all the hassles, the people and the tourists,” said George who bought two houses for less than […] Read more

EDMONTON – The crystal ball may still be cloudy on calf prices this fall, but it’s clear they will be lower than last year. It’s unlikely 2001’s record high calf prices will be repeated this fall, said Anne Dunford, Canfax senior market analyst. “It’s still not going to equate to the numbers we were seeing […] Read more

EDMONTON – The Alberta Cattle Commission cannot ignore concerns that it has grown too unwieldy to listen to producers, says a consultant looking at the organization. “It’s quite serious,” said Jerry Bouma, who was hired by the newly created Alberta Beef Council to look into ways the province’s cattle producers can have a more effective […] Read more

The Alberta government may alter its plan to clamp down on fusarium-infected grain entering the province. Ron Axelson of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, a member of the Alberta government’s fusarium committee, has been asked to lead a three-member group to develop a management strategy for feedlots to minimize the risk of fusarium spreading through […] Read more

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Agnes Jackson, a cow-calf producer from Napier Lake, B.C., has been elected president of the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association during its annual meeting. Jackson has sat on the association board for four years. She was chair of the environmental stewardship committee before becoming president. She said she doesn’t intend to change […] Read more

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – British Columbia’s cattle industry has shifted northward from the traditional ranches in the south to the Peace River, says a study commissioned by the province’s cattle association. The northeastern corner now has the province’s largest population of cattle and is continuing to grow because of low land prices and overall production […] Read more

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – British Columbia’s agriculture minister will apply to have a controversial poison brought back on the market to help ranchers stop wolves from killing their livestock. “I share your concern about the loss of livestock to predators, particularly wolves, and I’ve certainly seen the graphic evidence of the damage that predators can […] Read more