Livestock Management
REGINA — Many families come close to grabbing the brass ring at the Canadian Western Agribition supreme championship, but only a few have taken home the big prize. This year’s top bull award went to Poplar Meadows Angus for a two-year-old bull and the outstanding female came from Rod, April, Colby and Megan McLeod of […] Read more
Livestock Management
Data allows producers to assess farm
The Saskatchewan Bison Association’s benchmarking study now has a good base of data that producers can use to see how their operations measure up. Agricultural economist Sandy Russell defined benchmarking as the process of comparing one’s financial and performance measurements to industry bests or best practices from other companies. Producers can use the benchmarks to […] Read more
Speckle Park cow sets new sale record
REGINA — Darla Sauder may have received her best birthday gift ever this year at the Canadian Western Agribition Speckle Park sale on Nov. 25. She and her husband, Scott, of Fairlight, Sask., set a record for the breed when they sold a bred female for $20,000 to Drew Lehr of Watrous, Sask., who is […] Read more
Use the right tool, the right way
The proper use of syringes and needles becomes second nature in today’s cattle production, whether it’s for treating, vaccinating, flushing, aspirating or applying local anesthetic. We all have our preferences when grabbing syringes and needles. As well, we don’t want to leave needles in animals, and we don’t want to cause more pain than necessary […] Read more
Bison prices up at Agribition sale
A strong bison sale kicked off the many livestock sales at Canadian Western Agribition last week. Show and sale chair Nolan Miller of Silver Creek Bison at Binscarth, Man., said prices were up from last year. “We’ve been consistently climbing in prices for about the last six, seven years, and this year seemed to really […] Read more
Good reputation reaps price premium
Ranchers who have a history of raising quality cattle can demand higher prices from feedlots, says Canfax official
Discovering what packers are paying for cattle in the United States is extremely easy. American meat processors are required by law to provide detailed price and sales data every day to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA publishes the information online, where it’s publicly available in immense detail. The data can be overwhelming because […] Read moreBeef tracking system put to work
EDMONTON — The technology is out there to rebuild the Canadian beef industry, but not much is happening. “There are a lot of things we could be collecting on beef that frankly we do a terrible job on,” said Mike McMorris of the web based tracking system BIO. He called Canada’s traceability system a step […] Read more
Price insurance kicks in with drop in cattle prices
Saskatchewan cattle producers received a payment due to a major correction when calf prices fell below $286 per hundredweight
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — A strong market correction in October placed cattle producers who bought calf price insurance in a claim position, even though market prices are still high. Jodie Griffin, program co-ordinator for the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program at Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp., said the correction came during the fall run, as it […] Read more
MERS virus presents new dilemma as human populations grow
Half a world away, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an emerging human disease. It is a distant cousin to SARS, both are caused by coronaviruses that originated in animals. In 2012, people in Saudi Arabia developed a sudden and severe respiratory illness characterized by trouble breathing, pneumonia, fever and cough. In the last three […] Read more
Goat, sheep importers get new scrapie rules
New import regulations for sheep and goats entering Canada from the United States will take effect Feb. 1. The changes reflect ongoing efforts to prevent the import of breeding animals infected with scrapie while also allowing Canadian sheep and goat producers to obtain new stock. “There always is a desire to get some new seed […] Read more
