Livestock Management
LONDON, Ont. — Anderson’s Ovation may have been the prettiest horse at the World Clydesdale Show. A panel of judges certainly thought so and named the two-year-old filly supreme champion of the show, which was held in London Sept. 29-Oct. 3. The filly was owned by David Anderson of St. Thomas, Ont., and the win […] Read more
Livestock Management
VIDEO: Customer interaction key to ranch’s success
CALGARY — Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch has one huge advantage over many other farm and ranch operations, says its general manager, Dr. Terry Church. It gets direct feedback, on a regular basis, from those who use and eat its bison, elk and beef products. The ranch is owned by the O’Connor family of Calgary, which […] Read more
Assessing cattle begins at loading
TORONTO — More research is needed to figure out why animals get hurt or die during transport. Preparation starts at the farm and continues until the animals are unloaded at the slaughter plant, where auditors including Jennifer Woods watch to see if animals walk off the trailer in good shape. “Transportation cannot be fairly assessed […] Read more
Jury still out on benefits of NSAIDs for respiratory disease
Bovine respiratory disease continues to be one of the most important production diseases in the cattle industry. Most cases occur in recently weaned calves shortly after arrival in the feedlot. Preventive strategies for respiratory disease include vaccination programs, preconditioning programs and reducing the stress of weaning, mixing and transportation. Metaphylactic antibiotics may be used in […] Read more
Livestock: Bounce in beef price pushes CME live cattle futures up 3-cent limit
CHICAGO, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle finished up their 3.0-cents per lb daily price limit on Tuesday, driven by short-covering and bargain hunting following the spike in wholesale beef prices, traders said. Spot October and December finished at 125.125 and 133.225 cents, respectively. Live cattle’s trading limit will be expanded to […] Read more
Cattle prices hammered lower – here is why
It was a horrible week for Chicago live cattle futures with the nearby contract falling US10.625 cents per pound or almost eight percent. The Canfax Canadian cash steer weighted average fell almost C$9 to $160.73 per hundredweight from last week. Alberta fed cattle prices are now below year ago levels for the first time since […] Read more
Century ranch relies on efficient grazing plan
NANTON, Alta. — A lone deer bounces through the tall grasses and forbs before it disappears into a grove of trees ablaze with fall colours. Hawks drift overhead. “We’ve got lots of everything here,” said Clay Chattaway, whose family has been taking care of the Bar S Ranch west of Nanton in the Porcupine Hills […] Read more
Skill, painkillers, vaccine all part of successful castration
We now have many tools at our disposal when it comes to castrating calves. The skillful use of newer techniques and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID) address welfare issues. Much has changed in the feedlot industry. For starters, feedlots no longer dehorn cattle. A few may be tipped and the polled bulls look after the rest. As […] Read more
Expansion on minds of young Ont. cattle producers
WOODSTOCK, Ont. — After years of stagnation, Ontario’s cattle industry appears to be on the rebound. Dan Ferguson, manager of producer relations at Beef Farmers of Ontario, said there are now just 275,000 beef cows in the province, down from 400,000 immediately before BSE was discovered in Canada in 2003. Ferguson said his organization has […] Read more
Producers test McDonald’s sustainable beef requirements
McDonald’s Canada has released its requirements for sustainable beef production. The fast food chain has committed to offering beef produced in a sustainable way from Canadian farms by 2016 and has promised to fund the verification process for up to 300 participants. Only a portion of the Canadian beef served in 2016 will come from […] Read more
