Livestock Management
The Canadian Wildlife Federation hopes that by meeting with like-minded groups in the United States and Mexico it can find solutions to preserving native grasslands. John Wilmshurst, the organization’s native grassland conservation manager, recently met with U.S. and Mexican organizations in Fort Collins, Colorado, to discuss possible collective efforts to conserve North American grasslands. “This […] Read more
Livestock Management
Bleeding issues arise from variety of disease conditions
All bleeding eventually stops. However, the rate at which blood clots is critical to animal health. Generally, most cells in the body are no further than one millimetre from a blood vessel. This proximity allows the spread of oxygen and nutrients to cells and removal of carbon dioxide and other waste products. The heart pumps […] Read more
Fifth-generation cattle rancher aims to build biggest U.S. beef plant
CHICAGO, June 6 (Reuters) – A fifth-generation cattle rancher and consultant plans to build the country’s largest beef plant in South Dakota with capacity to slaughter 8,000 head of cattle a day. The USD$1.1 billion project could help address the Biden administration’s concerns about rising food prices and a lack of competition in the meat […] Read more
Biosecurity bill re-introduced
Alberta Conservative MP John Barlow has re-introduced legislative amendments to protect biosecurity on farms. The federal agriculture critic had presented his private member’s bill in the last Parliament, but it died at the election call last summer. Barlow said Bill C-275 would amend the Health of Animals Act. “This is very fitting with what we […] Read more
Ag census reveals sharp increase in hog numbers
The national sheep flock has shrunk since the previous census, but the goat, bison and elk sectors have seen increases
Canada’s cattle inventories may face a 20-year downward trend but that’s not the case in other livestock categories, according to data from the Statistics Canada 2021 agricultural census. Hogs are one of livestock’s bright spots with a 600,000 head increase since 2001 to more than 14.5 million being reported in the latest census data. Cam […] Read more
Climate neutral a goal for cattle sector
Former Agriculture Canada researcher calls net zero an unrealistic target to set for industry, including the livestock sector
Climate neutral, not net zero, should be the goal set in the ruminant livestock sector, says an expert in ruminant science. “There are very ambitious targets being set by industries. A lot of the wholesalers and retailers are all coming out every day saying they’re going to be net zero,” said Karen Beauchemin, honorary research […] Read more
Excitement in the air as 4-H returns to normal
Many of the events that weren’t possible during the COVID-19 pandemic are being planned this year as restrictions lift
With COVID-19 restrictions lifting across the Prairies, 4-H groups in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are looking forward to a return to pre-COVID times. “Everybody is excited to get back to normal as much as we can, of course, ensuring that safety measures continue to be in place for everybody,” said Shelby Corey, Saskatchewan 4-H executive […] Read more
Club members look forward to in-person participation
Agricultural 4-H clubs across the Prairies are looking forward to participating in person this summer. The Lundar, Man., and Kennedy, Sask.,4-H beef clubs had to adapt quickly as the pandemic shut down their operations swiftly in 2020. “During COVID, it kind of sucked,” said recent Lundar 4-H graduate Rayna Gleich. “It wasn’t very fun not […] Read more
Grass tetany can have dramatic consequences for cattle
Earlier this spring we had some desperately needed rain in parts of Western Canada. We still need more moisture in many areas but the rain in some locations will at least give the grass a good start in the pastures. However, after a recent phone conversation with another veterinarian I was reminded of a condition […] Read more
Bison loss tally still uncertain
Bison ranchers won’t know till autumn how hard they were hit by the recent string of severe storms on the eastern Prairies. The bison cow is tougher than a beef cow, but the storms hit in the midst of calving season, and it isn’t always easy to tell how many cows have aborted or have […] Read more
