Livestock Management
Broiler chickens learn when their barns will go dark and adjust their feeding patterns to have feed in their systems throughout that time, research at the University of Saskatchewan has found. This leads to better feed efficiency, reduced mortality and heavier market weights. Dr. Karen Schwean-Lardner told the Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada that work […] Read more
Livestock Management
Drought conditions increase risk of anthrax
Producers are urged to take precautions this summer because of how dry it has been; vaccinations are recommended
Anthrax is one of the oldest killers of humans and livestock, mentioned in some of the earliest recorded history. It has been called splenic fever, charbon, milztrand and woolsorter’s disease and is caused by a bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, which occurs sporadically in the United States and Canada. The disease is seen worldwide, and associated with […] Read more
Improvements urged for feed ammoniation
Livestock researcher says the process for boosting low-quality feed’s palatability must be industrialized to make it safer
Ammoniation of low quality feed isn’t new, but research at the University of Saskatchewan is looking at how to make the process easier and safer as the world looks toward feeding more people. Dr. Gabriel Ribeiro, the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Chair, said the process has to be industrialized if it is to be of use […] Read more
Most penile problems found in bulls can be corrected
Today, most large-scale producers have breeding soundness exams carried out on their breeding bulls yearly. Almost every purebred 12- to 15-month-old bull calf will have a breeding soundness exam performed by a veterinarian. The consistency of this exam is very good in the profession. The ReliaBull scrotal circumference tape has made scrotal circumference measurements accurate […] Read more
JBS workers returning as U.S. blames Russia over hack
WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, June 2 (Reuters) – JBS SA employees were returning to U.S. meat plants on Wednesday, a day after the company’s beef operations stopped following a ransomware attack. A posting on Facebook said JBS workers in Brooks, Alta., were also returning to work Wednesday. A notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the cyberattack against JBS […] Read more
Shifts cancelled at Brooks meat plant following cyberattack
CHICAGO, June 1 (Reuters) – JBS canceled shifts at large U.S. and Canadian meat plants on Tuesday after the company was hit by a cyberattack over the weekend, threatening to disrupt food supply chains and further inflate food prices. JBS Canada said in a Facebook post that shifts had been canceled at its plant in […] Read more
Action central – photo essay
It was a beehive of activity as family and friends branded and vaccinated 180 calves May 1 at the Snodgrass ranch south of High River, Alta. | Mike Sturk photos
It was a beehive of activity as family and friends branded and vaccinated 180 calves May 1 at the Snodgrass ranch south of High River, Alta. | Mike Sturk photos
Alberta ewe gives birth to six lambs
Farmer says raising sheep has helped her deal with anxiety and describes the sextuplets as being good for her well-being
A set of six lambs born from the same mother may be a million-to-one event, but Cathy Skory already knew she was lucky to raise sheep. “It looks beautiful to me to see them, and I love animals,” she says from her farm southwest of High River, Alta. “I’ve struggled with anxiety for the last […] Read more
Vet drug manufacturer earns licence
Merle Olson likes to joke that his retirement project has gotten out of hand. The former veterinarian and ex-University of Calgary scientist is the vice-president of research and development at Alberta Veterinary Laboratories Ltd. (AVL)/Solvet, a family business he helped found in 2004. It has received a federal Good Manufacturing Practice Drug Establishment Licence from […] Read more
Check-off agency plans spending
The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency’s 2021-22 business plan, released in April, estimates gross revenue at $18.08 million, up more than $1 million from 2020-21. The estimate is based on historical revenues, said general manager Melinda German. Of the total, the agency projects that about 57 percent ($9.88 million) will be used for market development and […] Read more
