Livestock Management
The time may have come for a Canadian pork grading system. A standardized meat grading system has the potential to add value to every cut and pay farmers more for producing the right kind of hog for the right market. “It is beyond what anybody else is doing in the world. It is a challenge […] Read more
Livestock Management
National pork grading plan seen as way to add value
Hog price insurance failing; sector looks for other avenues
The Alberta hog industry is calling for the demise of the western hog price insurance program because it does not work well for producers. Alberta Pork chair Frank Novak said the program offers insurance coverage when hog prices de-cline, but the high cost of premiums discourages producers from joining. “The net result is the options […] Read more
Maine Anjou impress breeders at Farmfair
EDMONTON, Alta. — It’s been 45 years since the first Maine Anjou cattle were brought to Canada from France in 1969. For some long-time Maine Anjou breeders there is no sense changing when you raise the best. Janice and Robert Stenberg felt they won the lottery when they bought their first Maine Anjou in 1971. […] Read more
Farmfair 2015
Farmfair International has been held at Northlands in Edmonton for 40 years. The farm show is one of Canada’s top agricultural shows and Mary MacArthur is onsite reporting for The Western Producer. Follow this page for her live coverage. Stories: Maine Anjou impress breeders at Farmfair EDMONTON, Alta. — It’s been 45 years since the […] Read more
Vet warns cattle sector to learn from PED spread
The hog industry spent millions on truck washes to contain the deadly virus and it’s ‘only a matter of time before we get a disease in cattle’
Manitoba’s hog industry has invested millions of dollars in truck and trailer washes to prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as porcine epidemic virus. A provincial veterinarian said companies that transport cattle should follow the sector’s lead and invest time and money in cattle trailer sanitation. Otherwise, a deadly cattle disease may be inevitable. […] Read more
Awards pile up for dairy farm
RED DEER — The accolades for Continental Holsteins are numerous, but every award has been gratefully received. Long-time Holstein breeders Norm and Marj Atkins of Leduc, Alta., won the grand champion rosette at the recent Westerner Dairy Showcase with a mature cow born in 2007. Named Lakefield Dundee Janice, this Canadian born and bred cow […] Read more
Experts study how viruses evolve
EDMONTON — The average person is host to billions of diverse bacteria and viruses that live in a community called a microbiome. A 200 pound adult probably carries two to six lb. of bacteria, some of which may cause disease while others are necessary for life, said virologist Frank van der Meer of the University […] Read more
Supply management and animal welfare
There is more to the issue of supply management in the Canadian dairy industry than simple economics. In a holistic view of the supply management system, the impact on animal welfare is worth considering. One of the major concerns about opening up Canada’s borders to imported milk is that most will come from the United […] Read more
Brand inspectors lack power
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Producers at a Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association district meeting here want brand inspectors to have more power when it comes to dealing with cattle theft. They say they don’t get enough help from the RCMP. District 2 director Philip Lynn said the board and the RCMP met after the SCA annual meeting […] Read more
Non-refundable checkoff with research guarantee proposed
STRATHMORE, Alta. — Alberta Beef Producers is offering a compromise to get back the non-re-fundable checkoff. A resolution calling for a non-refundable checkoff of $2 with a guarantee that 60 cents will be used for research and marketing efforts was passed at a producer zone meeting in Strathmore Oct. 22. A similar resolution passed Oct. […] Read more
