Livestock Management
I left the hallowed halls of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan 13 years ago and embarked on my career as a veterinarian. Reflecting on this passage of time, most of which I spent in the practice of pathology, there are some weird and interesting cattle cases that stand out. […] Read more
Livestock Management
Drought another threat to beef herd
The newly appointed federal agriculture minister and his Alberta counterpart discussed a range of topics during their first meeting, which took place in Calgary the first week of August. Alberta’s RJ Sigurdson and the feds’ Lawrence MacAulay talked about challenges such as the potential of an outbreak of African swine fever and international trade protocols. […] Read more
Barn sensor data can provide value
Companies find ways to collect livestock data for producers from multiple sensors that already exist in livestock barns
More sensors continue to be added to livestock barns to help increase animal productivity, reduce labour and provide safer environments for people and animals. Dairy farms, especially, have moved to embrace sensors over the past five to 10 years and now have more data available, similar to their hog and poultry farming neighbours. “On the […] Read more
Sask. sheep exhibition shows market growth
Organizers scrambled to find room for 160 sheep and lambs from 32 producers for the Grasslands Sheep Exhibition
HUMBOLDT, Sask. — Sheep numbers at the 2023 Grasslands Sheep Exhibition in Humboldt, Sask., were up 50 percent over last year’s show, which organizers said is an indication of industry growth. Sheep producers from across the Prairies participated in the July 21-23 exhibition. Organized by the Saskatchewan Sheep Breeders Association and the Saskatchewan Sheep Development […] Read more
Three-in-one vaccine hard to make
DES MOINES, Iowa — It might sound easy to take three vaccines, mix them up and stick them in a bottle. It’s anything but in the real world of scientific limitations, commercial management and regulatory requirements. That daunting combination was on display when Merck Animal Health unveiled its Circumvent CML vaccine. Multiple studies examining the […] Read more
Monitor gives producers more flexibility
Imagine being able to take a day off without worrying about water trough levels for grazing cattle. That scenario drove Katlin Lang and his brother, Dustin, of Vibank, Sask., to found a company that provides a water trough monitoring system. Designed for troughs that are connected to solar systems in pastures, Katlin Lang says the […] Read more
‘Intelligent nutrition’ promoted
DES MOINES, Iowa — Nutrition isn’t an easy or fast way to make money in the livestock industry. But that doesn’t seem to rattle the folks at Novus International, who enthusiastically presented their newest creations at the World Pork Expo here in June. “There is intellectual property on the nutrition side, you just have to […] Read more
Feed tests especially important during drought
Several areas in Western Canada are suffering from drought again this year. Drought creates many difficulties for ranchers, who must struggle with the immediate and long-term problems that can arise from not having enough forage for their cattle. I know some areas of the Prairies have received more adequate precipitation, but many ranchers are facing […] Read more
Power cuts a problem in Ukraine
DES MOINES, Iowa — Like most farmers at the World Pork Expo, Yaroslav Bondar was there to pick up the newest ideas about hog production. But unlike most producers there, he’d been trying to manage tens of thousands of feeder pigs while cruise missiles slammed into nearby power plants and threw his barns into darkness […] Read more
Canada expects Britain to ‘uphold’ CPTPP standards
The current situation, where Canada accepts imports of British meat and the U.K. rejects Canadian beef and pork, is absurd, say industry reps and some politicians.
