Michael Raine

The BSE crisis showed no signs of abating last week, forcing the cattle industry to further scramble for control of its destiny. The Alberta Cattle Feeders Association proposed last week a much-expanded packing and processing industry to help the cattle business in the face of export market losses. The feeders association was expected to meet […] Read more

It’s no secret that corn loves sunshine, but a University of Guelph scientist was recently surprised to discover that corn can see the colour of that light and use that ability to tell if other plants are nearby. Clarence Swanton stumbled across this phenomenon while researching corn’s reaction to early-season weed control. “We knew that […] Read more

While politicians debate how the latest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy could have been prevented, Canada’s minister of agriculture says “farm families shouldn’t be forgotten… and neither should their markets.” Bob Speller said he has been telling “his folks” to remember there are “farm families with livelihoods and lives involved here too.” Speller said his […] Read more

Twelve days of Christmas can equal two dozen days of frustration. This year at the Western Producer we decided to celebrate the yuletide season with an ode to the joy and giving ways of the holiday reflected in the 17th century song, the Twelve Days of Christmas. As with anything involving Christmas, I put off […] Read more

An Australian precision agriculture electronics company is entering the Canadian market, riding in on Morris Industries’ latest 8-Series seed carts. David Sharp of Farmscan said making money by saving money is what precision agriculture is all about. “We’ve seen the acreages increase in Australia, it’s the same thing that is happening in Western Canada,” Sharp […] Read more

Canadian slaughter facilities produce a mountain of animal waste each year but finding a use for the material has become increasingly difficult since the May announcement of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in an Alberta cow. If Canada bans all use of meat and bone meal in animal feeds, the dilemma will become worse, said an analyst. […] Read more

When North American consumers reach into the meat counter, they are usually reaching for a product that comes from the most valuable parts – products like roasts, steaks, ribs, stewing meat and ground beef. But what happens to the millions of kilograms of material that don’t end up on the consumer’s plate? Each time an […] Read more

On Sunday, May 18, 2003, Humphry Koch was called to the telephone to receive a call that would change his livelihood. The voice on the phone asked Koch, a top executive at one of Canada’s largest rendering companies, to participate in an urgent, “highly confidential” conference call sponsored by the federal government. The executive vice-president […] Read more

Canadian legislators should think carefully before applying foreign feed regulations to a Canadian feed industry that is already one of the safest and most carefully regulated in the world. Humphry Koch, past president of the National Renderers Association and a top executive of one of Canada’s largest rendering companies, said Canadian regulators and legislators should […] Read more

An increasing number of Canadian livestock producers are moving away from animalÐbased feed ingredients despite the fact that it is still considered a safe and affordable feed option, says a leading animal nutrition expert. Eduardo Beltranena, a pork scientist with Alberta Agriculture, said producers in Canada can still use spray-dried blood products and plasma, which […] Read more