JBS Foods Canada, which operates the beef processing facility in Brooks, Alta., is providing $2 million to that community, the company announced Oct. 22. The funds are part of the company’s Hometown Strong initiative that has earmarked $50 million for use in communities within Canada and the United States where it has facilities. The money […] Read more
Livestock
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Burps to burgers: food sector eyes emissions
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to…
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New vet lab can also protect human health
A decades-long gap in Alberta’s ability to test livestock for diseases is beginning to be bridged due to a new…
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Exploring the science behind methane emission levels in cattle production
(Reuters) — Scientists have worked for years to reduce methane emissions from cattle burps by changing what cattle eat, or…
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Sow exercise benefits found lacking
Pregnant sows have an intrinsic desire to leave their stalls, say swine health experts at the University of Saskatchewan. But…
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Subsidies help drive divergence in hog herds
One pig herd has stagnated. One has greatly expanded. What’s behind the different growth rates of the Canadian and American…
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Beef industry faces challenges but also scores successes
Cattle producers have always been resilient and the last few years have seen many new developments. The beef code of…
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Stories from our other publications
Dairy farmers want compensation action
Canada’s dairy farmers are calling on the federal government to make good on its promise to compensate producers after giving up market share of the supply-managed industry to more foreign competitors. The Liberal government has told Dairy Farmers of Canada compensation is coming as a result of three major trade deals: the Comprehensive Economic and […] Read more
Low stocks save rye prices from bumper crop
Statistics Canada expects 431,000 tonnes of production, which would be close to the biggest crop in three decades
North American farmers harvested a big crop of rye but it won’t overwhelm the market, say industry officials. “The feeling on inventory by the industry is that it is really at all-time lows,” said Herman Wehrle, director of commercialization and market development with FP Genetics. Statistics Canada is forecasting 431,000 tonnes of Canadian production, which […] Read more
Burps to burgers: food sector eyes emissions
Companies look at an additive made of coriander, clove and carrot extracts as a way to reduce methane from cattle
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps. The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned. So two years […] Read more
Exploring the science behind methane emission levels in cattle production
(Reuters) — Scientists have worked for years to reduce methane emissions from cattle burps by changing what cattle eat, or through research on vaccines, genetic modification of cattle and even forehead-mounted masks and backpacks to trap vapours. What is the problem? Methane, the second-most abundant greenhouse gas from human-related activities after carbon dioxide, accounts for […] Read more
FMD vaccine bank requested
It’s estimated a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Canada could require 1.9 to 2.7 million doses of vaccine
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is urging the federal government to establish a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank. In its pre-budget submission to the federal government, the CCA said a foreign animal disease outbreak in Canada would be catastrophic. “Canada’s modelling has shown that an FMD outbreak in highly populated livestock regions would require between 1.9 million […] Read more
New vet lab can also protect human health
The University of Calgary’s Diagnostic Services Unit has the capability to monitor diseases that could spread to humans
A decades-long gap in Alberta’s ability to test livestock for diseases is beginning to be bridged due to a new laboratory being launched at the University of Calgary. The project will help ease costs and deliver quicker results, and the lab will keep an eye on diseases that could potentially spread to humans, said Jennifer […] Read moreManitoba feed program proceeds without provincial share
Ottawa takes unusual step of proceeding with the subsidy program despite province’s refusal to contribute its 40 percent
Manitoba beef cattle producers will soon be able to get feed subsidies from a federal-provincial program, says Manitoba Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen. But the money is 40 percent less than it would have been because Manitoba isn’t providing its usual share of this sort of program, which alarms Manitoba’s main farmer organizations. “Manitoba Beef Producers […] Read moreAgribition unveils lineup for online version
Cattle show will hold virtual competitions and sales and offer sessions on rodeo and education programs for students
Canadian Western Agribition has announced its full lineup of virtual events for this year after the live Regina show was postponed due to the pandemic. It includes the opportunity to vote for the supreme champions of all time through a bracket-style competition that includes every Beef Supreme champion ever named at the show. The champion […] Read morePublic health work deemed a success if nothing happens
I attended a webinar a few weeks ago on the subject of the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The speaker made an interesting statement when discussing various public health interventions and about the difficulty in assessing the success of those interventions. She quoted a British systematic review that studied the return on investment […] Read more
