Livestock Management
A Taiwanese government decision to ban some United States beef cuts does not affect Canadian exports at this time. However, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has asked Ottawa to express its concern over the decision, said Travis Toews, foreign trade chair and vice-president of the association. “It was more of a political move and not based […] Read more
Livestock Management
Taiwan bans some U.S. beef cuts
Recession slammed door on meat demand
A key question for agricultural markets in 2010 is whether meat demand will quickly recover. Last year’s recession hurt demand, pressuring meat prices lower, hurting livestock producers’ income and forcing them to cull herds. Meat consumption was hammered in the United States, where beef consumption is expected to fall to 39.3 kilograms per person in […] Read more
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Jan. 7, 2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 30 reported the U.S. hog herd at 65.807 million head, or 98 percent of a year ago. The average trade estimate was for 97.7 percent of a year ago. The breeding herd was 5.85 million head, or 97 percent of a year earlier, which is close to the […] Read more
Canfax Report – for Jan. 7, 2010
This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. Steers traded at $75-$79 per hundredweight live and $130.50-$130.85 on the rail the week before Christmas. Heifers […] Read more
Small bird pays off for small business
ARDROSSAN, Alta. – Tucked between monster acreage homes, horse barns and gated houses in a rural area just east of Edmonton is one of Canada’s largest quail farms. Like the tiny bird, even a large quail farm is small. Everything from the hatchery, chick raising and egg gathering operation for 6,000 birds fits into a […] Read more
Management key to scour control
No single health program fits all herds when it comes to preventing scours, says a veterinarian. “Scours control is probably 80 percent management,” said Peter Knight, a veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health in Calgary. Bad weather, overcrowding, poor sanitation and stress can lead to diarrhea in calves, which is a major cause of death in […] Read more
Identifying mortality factors helps vets consider prevention – Animal Health
Producers often wonder about the cause of death when a cow dies. A post mortem can be performed and an exact cause identified, but due to cost and inconvenience, few producers ask their veterinarian to do one. More often, they ask the veterinarian to make a guess without the benefit of an examination. To help […] Read more
Disinfectant essential in hog barns
RED DEER – Using a pressure washer without disinfectant to clean a hog barn may do more harm than good. “What we have found is washing alone without using disinfectant increases the number of positive swabs,” swine veterinarian Egan Brockhoff told the recent swine technology workshop in Red Deer. “Pressure washing increases the spray and […] Read more
Three-year averaging nixed under AgriStability
An Alberta cattle producer said a provincial government decision to end the Reference Margin Pilot Project would cost him about $40,000 on his 250 head cattle operation. The provincial pilot project was implemented to help Alberta farmers deal with eroding reference margins under the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program. The pilot program allowed producers […] Read more
Swath grazing good for soil, easy on wallet
LEEDALE, Alta. – Feeding cows stockpiled forage or encouraging swath or bale grazing could reduce winter feed costs by more than half, says a professional grazing mentor. Swath grazing is fast food for cows, Jim Stone said during a fall grazing day in west-central Alberta. He said sustainable grazing works because cows feed themselves and […] Read more
