Livestock Management
In a late August edition, Time magazine published an article that has conventional farmers and ranchers in a knot. Entitled Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food, writer Bryan Walsh criticizes conventional livestock production, its feeding practices, manure management and use of antibiotics and growth hormones. It further takes to task the U.S. […] Read more
Livestock Management
On balance, article wasn’t – Editorial Notebook
Beef sector wants unified voice
The creation of the agricultural market access secretariat may provide the export focus lacking within the federal bureaucracy, say some industry players. A lack of leadership holds back the Canadian beef industry, said Scott Wooding of the Canada Beef Export Federation during the organization’s annual meeting in Calgary Sept. 17. “I see an industry that […] Read more
Canfax report – for Sep. 24, 2009
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. Fed cattle rise Packers cleaned up their backlog last week and moved to a more current position. […] Read more
Returning cattle face extra fee
Thousands of cattle will head home to Alberta this fall after spending the summer in Saskatchewan. In the northwest region alone, 23,000 to 26,000 cattle from Alberta graze in Saskatchewan each summer. Each time the cattle move over the border, their owners are required to pay inspection fees. Some producers say that is one cost […] Read more
Nominees picked for Sask. cattle group election
Twenty-six producers have been nominated for a spot on the first-ever elected board of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. Nominations closed Sept. 15 for the 11 positions based on the nine provincial crop districts. Districts 3 and 9 were split in two because of their large cattle populations. Three of the nominees are automatically on the […] Read more
Proper bull management essential for optimum performance – Animal Health
Bulls provide half the genetic value of a herd, which means producers can improve the growth and value of their subsequent calf crop by investing in superior bulls. However, they need to properly manage these animals to achieve optimum performance. The bull-to-cow ratio varies greatly. Younger yearlings need to run with about 15 cows to […] Read more
Tories could use WTO as scapegoat: author
The election of a majority Conservative government could lead to the most radical overhaul in Canadian agricultural policy in half a century, says the author of a book on farm policy evolution. University of Toronto political scientist and long-time agricultural analyst Grace Skogstad argues that Conservative free-market ideology and a potential world trade deal could […] Read more
Hog sector fears dollar parity
Talk of the Canadian dollar possibly reaching par with the American dollar is sending shivers down the spines of many Canadian farmers. But some non-bank analysts are not convinced that the loonie is likely to reach parity with the U.S. dollar. “Maybe it is. It feels a bit like it’s going that way,” acknowledged broker […] Read more
XL Foods mum on reopening
Workers affected by the April closure of the XL Foods plant in Moose Jaw, Sask., likely have Sept. 28 circled on their calendars. The province’s major beef slaughter plant is scheduled to re-open that day after a five-month shutdown. Norm Neault, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1400, said last week he […] Read more
GM flax puts market in turmoil
Flax trade with Europe has come to a grinding halt as officials try to sort out why an unregistered genetically modified flax variety is showing up in food products, according to European lab tests. At least four German companies have taken cereal and bakery products off store shelves after they tested positive for the presence […] Read more
