Livestock Management
Glacier FarmMedia – Work from a three-year pilot project aimed at understanding the livestock sector’s predator problem has become provincial policy. On April 25, the federal and Manitoba governments jointly announced the Livestock Predation Prevention Program, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The program builds on the Livestock Predation Prevention Pilot Project, an industry-led […] Read more
Livestock Management
Poisonous plants can lurk in pastures
Livestock producers are advised to protect their animals by identifying plants that can cause acute or chronic poisoning
REGINA — Turning cattle onto fresh spring pasture can come with risks from the plants growing there. Some plants are acutely toxic and others cause chronic poisoning. These include weeds that have appeared during the last few years of drought as water body boundaries receded. Jennifer Hayden and Chelsea Siemens, livestock and feed extension specialists […] Read more
It’s quadruplets – photo essay
Four calves were born April 19 to a Charolais/Simmental/Angus cow on Mark and Erin van Haastert’s ranch near Bjorkdale Sask., where they raise cattle with children James, Avalene and Vidalia. The calves were sired by a Simmental bull. The cow is eight-years-old and was born on the ranch. It has no history of multiple births. […] Read more
Canada expands avian flu monitoring
Federal government announces new precautions to keep virus out of the country’s dairy herd
Glacier FarmMedia – The federal government and stakeholders are taking new precautions to help prevent the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canadian dairy cattle. The government recently announced its intention to expand its avian flu surveillance by: The announcement comes after HPAI fragments were found in U.S. milk April 23. According to the […] Read more
Canada bars gates for untested U.S. dairy cattle
Lactating dairy cattle out of the United States must now test negative for bird flu before crossing the Canadian border
As of May 3, no Canadian dairies or beef herds had sickened with the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza that has spread to nine states—and there’s hope the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agreement to test lactating dairy cattle before they enter Canada might help keep it that way. Colorado joined the list of states […] Read more
Working with crop farmers provides another feed source
Cattle producers and grain growers who enter into grazing partnerships are urged to write a rock-solid agreement
Working with crop farmers may be one answer for cattle producers struggling with feed shortages. Kevin Elmy told the recent Advancing Organics conference in Saskatoon that he started looking for alternative management practices when he moved back to the family seed operation near Saltcoats, Sask., in 1999. What he came up with was a partnership […] Read more
Advances in sexed semen positive for cattle industry
Advances in the production of sexed semen have opened many doors in dairy and beef cattle production. It is another way producers can fine tune their management to potentially get higher returns. For many years, the dairy sector has focused on using sexed semen for heifers and top-end cows, the cows from which producers want […] Read more
Producers find antibiotic-free pork strategies
Glacier FarmMedia – Hog production companies that avoid antibiotic use can employ other management strategies to protect their animals. On-farm protocols used by two “no antibiotics ever” pork brands in the United States include genetics, extended pre-weaning days and unconventional feed schedules. Jim Magolski, senior director of hog quality and protocols for Niman Ranch and […] Read more
Cattle may help recycle food waste
A new film produced by the Canadian Cattle Association highlights how feedlots are using diverse feed sources
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada wastes about half the food it produces, but cattle can convert that waste into protein production. To highlight that ability, the next documentary in a five-part series from the Canadian Cattle Association focuses on feedlots and their role in recycling food waste. “There are concerns folks have about the environment and […] Read more
‘We’ve never seen anything like this before’
Glacier FarmMedia – Veterinarians and food safety officials have been scrambling for about a month to understand the origin and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in U.S. dairy herds across several states. Many potential vectors have been considered, from migratory birds, direct cow-to-cow transmission and milking equipment. A University of Guelph veterinary professor has […] Read more
