Livestock Management
Body condition scoring of pigs may not be high-tech, but it re-quires soft skills that not everybody has. “What’s really important (is that) we have good staff people, and that people are trained well,” Malachy Young, an Alberta feeding specialist, said during the Manitoba Swine Seminar. “It’s an acquired skill that can be achieved by […] Read more
Livestock Management
Feed specialist encourages training on body condition scoring for pigs
Counsellor lends animal workers her ear
Social worker provides support for veterinarians and livestock owners suffering stress, trauma and burnout
When Erin Wasson visited a Saskatchewan farm recently, she jumped into the thick of things and helped push sheep through the chute for treatment. “Work needed to get done,” said Wasson, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s first social worker. She said a willingness to get her hands dirty is vital when building a rapport […] Read more
Young Alta. producer wins at big U.S. show
Seventeen-year-old Tyson Pashulka shows family’s winning Maine Anjou bull at National Western Stock Show in Denver
A respectable win at the National Western Stock Show has given one Alberta teen a taste for the big time. Tyson Pashulka’s Maine Anjou bull was named reserve junior champion, a first for Canadian entrants. Named Mr Rusylvia Bennilli 6B and shown by the Rusylvia Cattle Co. of Derwent, Alta., the 2014 bull has been […] Read more
U.S. beef sector will pay for ‘lame duck Congress’
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — American beef producers’ biggest obstacles to gaining global market power could be the mighty Australian beef exporting machine and the failure of the U.S. Congress to ratify a major trade deal. The Trans-Pacific Partnership must receive congressional assent, but that could stall in an election year. The politicians who remain after […] Read more
Producers and consumers need info on antimicrobial use
The use of antibiotics in livestock and the danger of antibiotic resistance are hot topics, and there is a lot of misinformation, especially with urban residents. We need to provide them with correct information and set the record straight on how the industry is addressing the issue. Good brochures and websites are available that give […] Read more
Tag loss study shows higher rate in cows
Ear tag loss is a problem for cattle producers, and complaints about retention are common. National traceability requirements demand that lost radio frequency identification tags be replaced on the animal, and producers can be fined if cattle arrive for sale without one. The issue led the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency to study tag loss. Results […] Read more
Producers reap premium for Japanese beef breed
DENVER, Colo. — Akaushi cattle have come a long way since Japan exported eight females and three bulls to the United States in 1994. The Japanese government does not usually allow exports of its native breeds, so this was a coup for those involved. “It was legal, but it was through a loophole in a […] Read more
New technology set to revolutionize genetic modification
Science heralded CRISPR-Cas9 as the “biggest scientific breakthrough of 2015.” A Nobel Prize drumbeat has already started for co-discoverers Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, even though their discovery was published only in 2012. This speaks to the importance of their achievement because most Nobel Prizes are awarded decades after the work is complete. CRISPR is […] Read more
Roughage reduces abscesses, but is it cost effective?
SASKATOON — Liver abscesses negatively affect profitability at the individual animal level, but an Alberta veterinarian says there can be a surprisingly positive correlation at the population level. Dr. Eric Behlke of Feedlot Health Management Services in Okotoks, Alta., said a 2014 study of 837,405 head slaughtered in Alberta found that two percent of the […] Read more
Celebrity’s anti-meat rant highlights power of social media
If Canadian beef and dairy producers want to know what they’re up against when it comes to public perceptions, a good place to start is jillianharris.com. Jillian Harris, who grew up in Peace River, Alta., became famous when she starred as the bachelorette on the popular TV show, The Bachelorette. She now stars on the […] Read more
