Livestock Management
Heritage Livestock Canada works to raise awareness of how endangered livestock might help weather climate change
Rebecca Lange, president of Heritage Livestock Canada, is all-too-familiar with the adage, “if it works, it’s line breeding. If it doesn’t, it’s inbreeding.” “Genetic diversity is our biggest challenge,” she says. Lange says her organization connects breeders worldwide to help them bring in new genetics, including semen, embryos or live animals. “We rely on producers […] Read more
Livestock Management
Pen to pasture – photo essay
Darcy Thomson cleaned out GJ Cattle & Crop Inc.’s corrals late last month near Marquis, Sask., and the manure was then spread on nearby fields. | Mickey Watkins photos
Certain pathogens aim to cause severe illness in animals
A primary pathogen’s objective is to make its hosts sick, or dead in the case of anthrax, so it can spread further. It is a different strategy than that used by opportunistic pathogens, which generally live in peace with their hosts and only cause disease if something changes.
Agribition turns profit, plans for next show
President Kim Hextall, who was re-elected at this week's annual general meeting, said the numbers represent a return to business as usual.
Livestock producers seek risk management improvements
A recent livestock summit heard that even with recent enhancements to AgriStability, the program doesn’t provide proper protection and they view other programs as expensive.
Burrowing owl teaches about cattle
The Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program uses Bindi to show the public that grazing is environmentally important
Many urbanites don’t connect cattle farming with environmental preservation, even if they don’t see cattle as destructive. Few realize that cattle actually create the environment that endangered burrowing owls need to survive.
Alberta lamb producers form shipping co-op
Western Canada Lamb Cooperative plans to find enough producers to fill a cattle liner and send it to Ontario or Quebec
Vice-chair of the new co-op, Claude Durupt, said the co-op isn’t about buying or selling lambs on its own; it’s simply trying to facilitate transportation.
Modified live viral vaccines have their pros and cons
Modified live vaccines give slightly higher antibody levels and in general provide the optimal fetal protection and perhaps more robust immunity than the killed vaccines, which is my main reason for preferring them.
Pet dog catches avian flu from dead goose
The dog in Oshawa, Ont., was confirmed to have been infected and died from avian influenza after it was found chewing on a wild goose.
Probiotic developed for dairy cattle
University of Alberta researcher says using probiotics to prevent infection could reduce disease and lower antibiotic use
The use of probiotics to prevent infections could help lower the incidence of diseases, potentially reducing the need for treatment with expensive antibiotics, said Burim Ametaj, who is a professor of physiology and nutritional immunology at the University of Alberta.
