Livestock Management
Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the border blockades have disrupted the agricultural economy and are hurting farmers. She issued a statement Feb. 14 after meeting with representatives from the meat industry to discuss the situation. She said the blockades have affected the safe movement of live animals, feed and goods and are negatively affecting […] Read more
Livestock Management
Beef producers demand action on veterinarian shortage
Action must be taken to ease what is becoming a critical shortage of veterinarians in Alberta, says one of the leaders of the province’s beef industry. “It’s just really reached a peak right now where the access to veterinarians, especially in more remote rural areas, is starting to become what I believe is an animal […] Read more
Alta. border crossing closed; cattle sector pleads for an end
As the second week of the Coutts blockade ends, the road to Alberta’s beef export gateway is in a hard lockdown with no traffic getting through. The heads of the beef industry’s leading producer groups are calling for the opening of the border before the blockade’s damaging effects run through the entire supply chain in […] Read more
Blockade hits major Man. border crossing
UPDATED – February 10 – 1520 CST – Reaction from Manitoba Pork added – A protest that began early this morning has shut down the main border crossing between Manitoba and North Dakota. At around 9 a.m., the RCMP alerted Manitobans that traffic was not moving through the Emerson border crossing, which connects Highway 75 […] Read more
Funding announced for livestock research
Saskatchewan and Ottawa have announced investment in livestock and forage research projects worth slightly more than $5 million. The money will go toward 28 projects through the Agriculture Development Fund this year. Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, said the federal government supports research that focuses on sustainability. “Saskatchewan cattle producers […] Read more
Colostrum window closes quickly
Quick action needed because most antibody absorption will occur in the first two or three hours and diminishes after that
Human babies can derive antibodies from mothers but calves have no such advantage. That’s why colostrum is so important to newborn calves. “A calf is born with almost no antibodies against disease pathogens. Survival is dependent on receiving those antibodies from colostrum, before gut closure,” says Dr. Deborah Haines, founder of the Saskatoon Colostrum Company […] Read more
Choose colostrum substitutes with care: vet
In a perfect world, every newborn calf would jump up and suckle, absorbing valuable colostrum that protects it from illness. The world is not perfect. As ranchers know, sometimes a cow dies or a heifer rejects its calf or the calf gets too chilled to function normally. That’s when saved colostrum or colostrum substitutes enter […] Read more
Newborn calves’ health must be checked and maintained
In many cattle operations, the biggest problem is keeping calves healthy during the first two months of life, or until they are processed for pasture. When checking the performance of young calves, watch for clinical signs that they may need attention and be ready to treat them. By taking the animal’s temperature, producers can better […] Read more
Kenney asks protestors to stop border blockade
Alberta’s premier says lifting vaccine passports in Alberta was not intended to pry open the border from protesters at Coutts. “That blockade, all it does is inconvenience thousands of law-abiding truckers who are just trying to make a living who now have to go to one of the three other ports of entry between Alberta […] Read more
Tyson Foods’ beef profits expected to amplify concerns about high meat prices
CHICAGO, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Tyson Foods Inc is expected to post strong results for its beef business in a quarterly earnings report on Monday, as the Biden administration’s criticism of high meat prices and fat profits for processors continues to mount. Increased operating margins could attract more unwanted scrutiny from Washington for Tyson and […] Read more
