Livestock Management
Alberta dairy farms are being sought to take part in a study on dairy cow longevity conducted by the University of Calgary, faculty of veterinary medicine. In a news release issued April 22, Alberta Milk said the study is designed to investigate which cow factors, such as production, reproduction and health, are key to determining […] Read more
Livestock Management
Alta. bison farm chooses to work with nature
Handling is kept to a minimum but family must provide sufficient feed and minerals and assure a steady water supply
LACOMBE, Alta. — Visiting Frontier Farm makes it understandable why the Van Haren family — Erwin and Judy, and their son, Roger, and his wife, Katelyn — raise bison. “They take care of themselves,” says Roger. Adds Judy with a bit of a smile: “We handle them with binoculars and a hockey stick with a […] Read more
Exports worth $600 per head
Canadian beef exports add at least $600 per head in value, compared to the domestic market, and numbers show that trade is accelerating. Deals like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership push down tariffs and open doors to high value markets like Japan. “There has been triple the volume of beef that has […] Read more
Old ram sperm found to be as good as fresh
Ram sperm frozen for 50 years has been awakened to impregnate 34 ewes in Australia. Researchers from the University of Sydney have thus concluded that artificial insemination using the world’s oldest known viable semen has a successful impregnation rate in sheep equivalent to recently frozen samples. Associate professor Simon de Graaf and Jessica Rickard used […] Read more
PMU ranchers feel pinch as cuts announced
The company that contracts pregnant mares’ urine reduces the number of ranches from which it will buy product
Pfizer Canada’s cuts to pregnant mares’ urine production will force four Manitoba ranches and one Saskatchewan ranch out of the industry. The 17 percent reduction translates into 33,000 grams of estrogen. Ranchers are paid per gram of estrogen and not on the volume of urine produced. The reduction affects three ranches in southwestern Manitoba, one […] Read more
Ways to save time and labour in cow-calf operations
Time and labour are often in short supply at cow-calf operations, but there are ways producers can save both, while also saving a bit of money. Drones should be used on most larger operations for checking cattle, checking fences, checking watering troughs, finding lost cattle and identifying sick ones. Drones are quick and the images […] Read more
U.S. beef exporters fear declining sales to Japanese market
NEW ORLEANS, La. — The U.S. beef sector exported about US$8.25 billion worth of beef last year and the industry has high hopes for continued growth. Trade agreements remove duties and non-tariff barriers so favourable deals are needed, said Kent Bacus, trade policy director for the U.S. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “Customers want our beef […] Read more
Beef industry faces cultural challenges in new markets
Consumers around the world have different cultural and dietary tastes and it will be a challenge to meet those needs
HOUSTON, Texas — Meeting demands of consumers with different cultural and dietary tastes could be the next challenge facing beef-producing nations. Major beef exports come from United States, Australia, Canada and Brazil yet the greatest demand is in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where beef is probably a luxury item and may only be […] Read more
Farm safety laws, carbon tax on the block as Alberta’s UCP elected
The United Conservative Party will be Alberta’s new government, receiving a majority mandate from voters Tuesday night. The party, with premier-designate Jason Kenney at the helm, will send at least 60 MLAs to the legislature this spring with a strong rural voice. “Our province has sent a message to Canada and the rest of the […] Read more
Two bulls hit price stratosphere
(Editor’s note: This story has been corrected from an original version.) It was – 40 C on Feb. 25 when the Beechinor family prepared for their seventh bull sale. They never imagined that the pace of their sale would be so hot. Stefon and Rebecca Beechinor of Bentley, Alta., and partner JNR Farms of Willingdon, […] Read more
