University’s first BCRC-Hays Chair in Beef Production Systems will find ways to cut costs while reducing carbon footprint
Although she laughs as she admits she has never driven a car on snow, scientist Gleise Medeiros Silva says she is more than ready to take on the challenge of helping Canadian beef producers. “I think I am a person who adapts well wherever they go, so I think Canada is an amazing country,” she […] Read moreLivestock Management — page 186
Precision feeding considered for livestock
Researchers say precision livestock nutrition could become part of commercial hog operations within a couple of years
Precision livestock nutrition can maximize nutrient use and profitability in hog operations. PLN, as it’s known, is part of the emerging concept of smart farming, or precision livestock farming, that uses information and technology to monitor and control farm processes. Nutrition is a key part of that, said Dr. Candido Pomar, research scientist from Agriculture […] Read more
Veterinary pathologist observes 50 years of changes
This June, animal health professionals gathered for the Canadian Animal Health Laboratorians Network meeting. Like many things in 2020, the in-person conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine hosted the meeting in a virtual format. The organization includes people from a range of laboratory specialties […] Read more
Don’t panic, Chinese govt tells pig farmers as prices slide further
BEIJING, June 21 (Reuters) – China’s government-backed livestock industry body urged pig farmers on Monday not to panic as hog prices fell further and investors continued to sell shares in major producers. Live hog prices in the world’s top pork consumer have plunged 65% since the start of the year as domestic production surged and […] Read more
Stung by pandemic and JBS cyberattack, U.S. ranchers build new beef plants
CHICAGO, June 17 (Reuters) – U.S. cattle ranchers and investors are sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into new beef plants after temporary closures of massive slaughterhouses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic left farmers with nowhere to send animals destined to be turned into meat. A cyberattack against the U.S. unit of Brazilian […] Read more
How four big companies control the U.S. beef industry
CHICAGO, June 17 (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers are seeking increased oversight of the beef sector as concerns about anticompetitive behavior increase after the pandemic and a cyberattack on a major meat company, JBS USA. Agriculture officials are meanwhile pushing for more processing capacity and ranchers are opening new slaughterhouses after plant shutdowns highlighted the industry’s […] Read more
‘We’re being taken advantage of’
As predicted, cattle producers are reaping the benefits of the Canada-Europe free trade deal — but not in this country. In April, the Irish Times reported that Ireland’s beef exports to Canada have increased 700 percent since 2017, when the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement came into effect. The massive increase in beef exports is […] Read more
JBS paid $11M to end cyberattack
REUTERS — Meat packer JBS USA paid a ransom equivalent to $11 million after a cyberattack that recently disrupted its North American and Australian operations. “This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally,” said Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA on June 9. “However, we felt this decision […] Read more
Alberta farm show moves under new management
Farmfair International will now be run by the City of Edmonton’s tourism agency after the 142-year-old Northlands makes the decision to dissolve
An agricultural society that is older than Alberta will be shutting down following several years of financial challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Northlands has reached a tentative agreement with Explore Edmonton, which will take over the management of the K-Days exhibition and the Farmfair International livestock and agricultural show. A formal transition will take […] Read more
Poor water quality linked to sulfate levels
Cattle producers urged to test dugouts this summer due to low water levels resulting from a shortage of snow last winter
This summer, testing water might become a necessity for livestock producers. Hundreds of dugouts across the eastern Prairies are half-full of water, or nearly empty, because of minimal snowfall this winter. When dugouts and other water sources are low, water quality usually drops. “If they (producers) are looking at lower levels… that can sneak up […] Read more
