Livestock Management
Business diversification project grows into Bison Guy brand that offers online sales throughout British Columbia
A bison producer in northeastern British Columbia officially opened in late August an on-farm processing plant that will prepare a wide range of meat cuts for clients. Operating under the brand name Bison Guy, the Weder family of Hudson Hope, B.C., held an open house for their new 10,000 sq. foot, provincially certified processing facility […] Read more
Livestock Management
Monitoring dairy cows’ water use has benefits
Water use efficiency should be a priority and minor changes can achieve significant decreases, says AAFC researcher
Small changes can pay dividends in water use on dairy farms, financially and in preserving water quality and supply. Determining where to make those changes takes careful monitoring and investigation. That’s a message in research by Agriculture Canada researcher Andrew VanderZaag. He has studied water use on dairy farms in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec […] Read more
Solvet builds a better box of boluses in Calgary factory
Family began company in 2008 that has over 50 patents, manufactures and exports drugs and veterinary products
CALGARY — Making a cattle bolus doesn’t sound a lot like making a box of chocolates. But it is, Canada’s Solvet discovered. “Bolus manufacturing is a lot like chocolate manufacturing,” said a hygienically cloaked Anders Olson, a product manager with Canadian veterinary pharmaceutical company Solvet, which was founded by his parents Merle and Barbara. “We […] Read more
New pork research barn called a ‘game changer’
Biosecurity, efficiency and sector regulations motivated design of research barn to make the sector more sustainable
A new $20-million facility is expected to make Ontario a leader in cutting-edge swine research. “Our industry is poised to undergo significant transformations driven by advancements in technology, changing consumer preferences, sustainability goals, as well as global economic forces,” said John de Bruyn, Ontario Pork chair, at the centre’s grand opening. “The industry’s ability to […] Read more
Conference provides insights into FMD preparedness, control
I recently attended the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s Animal Health Summit. The conference provided veterinarians, producers and other industry stakeholders an update on the current status of foot and mouth disease (FMD) worldwide. VIDO was founded more than 45 years ago at the University of Saskatchewan and is a leader in infectious disease research […] Read more
Study predicts growth in plant-based meat sales
The future for plant-based protein is bright despite recent setbacks, according to a new Ernst & Young study. Demand for the product is expected to be strong in the wake of a global pandemic that led to an economic slowdown in 2022. Ernst & Young is forecasting US$139.4 billion in global plant-based meat sales by […] Read more
Top to bottom crisis among rural vets
CALGARY — With the University of Calgary’s veterinary school soon to be educating more than three times as many students as it began with in 2008, one might assume the veterinarian drought will soon be over. That won’t even keep rural vet numbers flat, let along fill the growing gaps that are leaving livestock and […] Read more
Sask. beef producers say Ottawa should pony up
Agriculture Canada said it’s working with the provinces to determine additional support required by farmers
Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association last week asked Ottawa to come through with AgriRecovery money. However, the federal government said the AgriRecovery process isn’t yet complete. In August the Saskatchewan government announced it would spend $70 million to help cattle producers cope with drought and feed shortages. The money is meant to be its share of support […] Read more
Profitability of cattle unlikely to spur expansion
Previously unimaginable, 550 to 600-pound steer calves seem destined to fetch more than $2,000 each during the fall calf run. Unfortunately, this newfound profitability in the beef sector is unlikely to reverse the steady erosion of cattle numbers in Western Canada. Even with heifer calf prices somewhat lower than steers, selling 300 calves this fall […] Read more
Farmers can select for methane-efficient cows
World-first approach could reduce a herd’s methane emissions by 20-30 per cent by 2050, help meet industry’s GHG goals
A world-leading approach to creating a methane-specific breeding index has been developed by Lactanet. Not content to wait until “sniffer” technology for measuring bovine methane emissions eventually becomes more affordable, the Canadian dairy data collection and genetics analysis organization developed the index based on milk samples. “Canada will be the first country globally to offer […] Read more
