Livestock Management
For Stan Rampton, choosing when to wean his calves is simply a matter of pragmatism. “From mid-August to mid-September, we’re right in the middle of harvest and just don’t have time to get them weaned,” said Rampton, who runs a cow-calf operation and a grain farm north of Oak Lake, Man. A few years ago, […] Read more
Livestock Management
Tips to reduce weaning stress
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Sep. 17, 2009
Hogs steady Narrowing pork plant profits discouraged higher bids. The average Iowa-Minnesota hog weight two weeks ago was 267.4 pounds, up from 267 lb. the week before and 259.4 lb. a year earlier. Corn prices fell, raising speculation that the sow cull might stall and the decline in pig and pork production next year might […] Read more
Alta. conservationist recognized
It’s a simple bronze plaque on a cairn, and it’s how Ducks Unlimited officials felt they could honour one of the single largest conservation easements in Canada. Alberta oilman and landowner Daryl “Doc” Seaman donated conservation easements on four of his Alberta ranches last year as a way to protect the Alberta range and grasslands. […] Read more
Canfax report – for Sep. 17, 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 down Packers have good supply and were not aggressive buyers. The Canfax weighted average price […] Read more
Producers offered loan extension
Saskatchewan cattle and sheep producers who borrowed money through the provincial breeder livestock loan guarantee program have a bit of breathing room to repay the principal. Provincial agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud announced last week that participants have the option to defer their principal payments for one year. They still have to pay the interest, however. […] Read more
Research centre sells hog barn
Depressed hog prices and an inability to absorb production losses has forced the Prairie Swine Centre to sell its eight-year-old research facility at Elstow, Sask. Lee Whittington, PSC president and chief executive officer, said ongoing losses associated with the facility’s hog production operations resulted in a decision last year to empty the research barn, sell […] Read more
U.S. elevator fills large niche
WAVERLY, Ill. – It takes a lot of capacity to get the crop to market when the land yields 220 bushels per acre. Elevator operator Robert Johnson meets those demands. The American grain handling system has a lot of private elevator operators, and in southern Illinois, not far from where Abraham Lincoln was raised and […] Read more
Heritage breed shows its value
OLDS, Alta. – Pat Lyster found winning the red ribbon at the recent Olds Fair especially satisfying. That’s because his horned Dorset ram, a heritage breed, beat out all other sheep breeds at the fair to win the supreme championship. The horned Dorset is just one of a number of rare livestock and poultry breeds […] Read more
Low prices may put livestock welfare in peril
Low livestock prices combined with high feed costs and limited hay supplies could leave farm animals in jeopardy this winter, say animal welfare experts. Ian MacMillan, co-ordinator of investigative services at the Saskatchewan SPCA, says there is often a correlation between poor livestock prices and confirmed cases of livestock neglect. “Generally, we do tend to […] Read more
H1N1 report delayed by glitch
After a two month delay, Manitoba’s provincial veterinary office has confirmed that the H1N1 flu virus was detected in several hog barns in the province earlier this summer. Wayne Lees, the province’s chief veterinary officer, said H1N1 was found in late June and early July, but details were not released until late August because of […] Read more
