Michael Raine

& Reuters News Agency A second inconclusive test for BSE in the United States in as many weeks has been proven negative. On June 30 and July 2, U.S. officials announced that two animals testing “inconclusive” in rapid testing passed the more advanced immunochemistry, or IHC, test conducted at the Ames, Iowa national laboratory. American […] Read more

Canadian rodeo stock contractor Greg Kesler of Helena, Montana, has been charged with two counts of smuggling rodeo bulls into the United States. He appeared in a U.S. district court in Missoula, Mont., June 3 to answer to the charges and plead not guilty. A trial date was not set at that time. The American […] Read more

Canadian cattle suspected of having BSE will not necessarily be killed immediately, says Canada’s chief veterinary officer. It isn’t required that all animals from suspected BSE-infected herds be killed as a part of a disease control program. Brian Evans told a conference of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association […] Read more

Canadian systems used to recognize, track and control reportable livestock diseases need improvement, says Brian Evans, Canada’s chief veterinary officer. He reminded veterinarians that they are the front line in disease detection and in the fight to protect the animal agriculture industry from opportunistic pathogens and governments. Part of the future of export livestock agriculture […] Read more

Lower prices for fed cattle are likely here to stay until the American border opens to live animals, industry officials agree. The oversupply of fat cattle continues to push producer prices lower and Canadian packers’ gross margins higher. The four major packers get the difference between the value of the wholesale meat and the fed […] Read more

Winter wheat acres are up this year but crop conditions are highly variable. Poor fall moisture conditions delayed seeding in many areas of southern Saskatchewan and northwestern Manitoba, while a warmer-than-average October provided support for later-seeded crops. As well, rain fell over much of the Prairies after the crop went in the ground. In Alberta, […] Read more

Lloyd DeBruycker owns thousands of cattle in the United States. He has interests in purebred Charolais cattle, commercial herds and a sizable feedlot. He also owns feeders in southern Alberta. Ironically, he is a proud defender of the American cattle industry and a member of the Ranchers-Cattlemen’s Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America. The […] Read more

Grant Nelson is tired of hearing about the threat Canadian cattle pose to the American cattle industry and public. The cattle producer from Stirling, Alta., feels the Ranchers-Cattlemen’s Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, is not frank when it opposes Canadian cattle imports, while some of its members are buying Canadian feeder cattle. “How […] Read more

Dropping blue salt blocks off the tailgate of a truck may make a satisfying sound, but that alone won’t satisfy cattle’s mineral needs. Cattle need and crave salt. When it is mixed with other valuable, but less palatable minerals, the salt ensures cattle take in other needed minerals as well. But when cattle are offered […] Read more

Mark Purdey has theories about the origins of BSE and they don’t jibe with many scientists’ views on the subject. The British organic farmer, trained in zoology, nevertheless has a following among farmers and environmentalists. Purdey’s cattle became infected with BSE at the height of Great Britain’s outbreak in the 1990s, despite his insistence that […] Read more