Michael Raine

May 12 was “Day 1 around here,” said Rod Ross of Camrose, Alta. The first day of seeding came a full two weeks later than usual for Ross and most of the other farmers in the central and western regions of Alberta. “Thirty percent are under way today. I expect everybody will be running by […] Read more

Modern agricultural producers have their hands full. There is little debate about that. Today, several hand-held devices exist that can help farmers grasp more information and unload some of the burden that goes with operating a farm. David Foody, president of Cattleman’s Calculator, Inc. of Aurora, Colorado, was an early developer of hand-held farm computer […] Read more

On the wings of a mosquito is a virus that kills as many as half of the horses that it infects. It’s coming to a province near you. West Nile virus is now a reality for horse owners across Western Canada. Vaccinating against the disease “is a must,” Trisha Dowling of the University of Saskatchewan […] Read more

West Nile virus may have an enemy in the form of another virus. Researchers have found that the mosquito genus most blamed for transporting West Nile from birds to man and horses, the Culex, has a viral enemy of its own. Found by James Becnel in 1997, the baculovirus called CuniNPV can be used to […] Read more

The damage caused by improperly injecting cattle costs the Canadian industry an estimated $9 per slaughtered head, or $19 million annually. Fred Taylor with the Canadian Beef Grading Agency in Alberta sees the damage first hand as it passes him on the floors of the packing plants where he works. “Stop damaging the meat with […] Read more

WELDON, Sask. – Denis Doderai remained optimistic about his canola crop after the first snow came last September. He tried to harvest it when he could, but winter prevailed and more than 100 acres remained in windrows near Fenton, Sask. This spring, Doderai took a sample to an elevator manager, who told him there was […] Read more

Reducing pigs’ phosphorus emissions may have more than an environmental benefit – it may also save farmers money by cutting their feeding costs. Phytase, a microbial feed additive that reduces phosphorus excretions, appears to help young animals make better use of a variety of minerals and compounds already present in the feed, but which hog […] Read more

PAYNTON, Sask. – Five years ago Betty Ann and Cameron Stewart stopped taking their bulls to town and have been reaping the rewards ever since. The Paynton, Sask., couple earns a large part of their living supplying purebred Charolais bulls to the commercial cattle industry from their farm, CSS Charolais. When they decided to hold […] Read more

Commercial cattle producers planning to calve in late spring or on early pasture need to be especially vigilant about their feed. As moulds build in the feed this spring they can cause abortions weeks or months after they have been fed. Researchers blame as much as 10 percent of all abortions in cattle on mycotoxins. […] Read more

Last fall’s crop salvage spelled salvation for some feed-short livestock producers, but with spring it may become their liability. Last fall tens of thousands of acres of canola and cereals were rolled up wet and stored in plastic or left to freeze for later feeding. But now much of that crop may be developing mould […] Read more