Livestock Management
Researchers at Kansas State University have found no difference between cattle raised in organic, natural and conventional systems when it comes to the prevalence of E. coli bacteria. In a study published in the August issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, T.G. Nagaraja and his team at Kansas State looked at the two main niche […] Read more
Livestock Management
Pathogens unaffected by production system
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Sep. 10, 2009
Hogs rally Hog demand was stronger than expected, helping lift hog cash prices. Packer margins remained positive, although pork carcass cut-out values fell from the start of the week. Iowa-southern Minnesota cash hogs rose to $37.50 US per hundredweight Sept. 4, up from $34 Aug. 28. The U.S. pork carcass cut-out value fell to $54.04 […] Read more
WTO deal ‘wishful thinking’
A meeting of selected trade ministers from World Trade Organization countries last week could be “the beginning of the endgame of the Doha Round,” said WTO director general Pascal Lamy. During a speech in New Delhi, India, before talks began Sept. 3, Lamy warned that the year-long recession has slowed trade and encouraged protectionism. “We […] Read more
Historic barn rises from rubble
INDIAN HEAD, Sask. – Saskatchewan’s first round barn is rising again. Dismantled in April 2008 because of its deteriorating condition, the 127-year-old Bell Barn will soon stand complete in a location just north of its original site near Indian Head. Bricklayers and stonemasons are happy to recreate history, said project manager Burleigh Hill of Gracom […] Read more
Argentine farm strike idles grain, cattle markets
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) – Argentine farmers began a strike Aug. 28 and threatened to extend the protest, reviving a dispute over government policy that hit local financial markets and tested president Cristina Fernandez last year. The measure virtually paralyzed local grain and livestock markets, but is unlikely to cause much disruption to the country’s […] Read more
Soil better off moving uphill
New research has found that prairie farmers can increase yields by moving soil from the bottom of a slope to the top of a knoll. “Farmers have been doing this for hundreds of years because they know this is what you have to do if you have a lot of severe erosion,” said David Lobb, […] Read more
Canada’s WTO challenge of beef ban off to court
Hogs slip lower After setting a seven-year low two weeks ago, Chicago hog futures rose last week on rumours that American packers had exported large quantities of pork possibly to Mexico and Russia. Slaughter data showed American producers might be starting to cull their breeding herds. The U. S. Department of Agriculture said sow slaughter […] Read more
More to dugout than digging hole
CAROLINE, Alta. – Fay Pengelly remembers swimming in the farm dugout as a youngster but would not dream of doing it now. Dugouts on her family’s property near Caroline were built decades ago and some have eroded sides, algae growth, weeds and muddy water that is probably full of harmful bacteria. It is time to […] Read more
Farmer fires back at agri-intellectuals
Canada’s complaint about lack of access to the South Korean beef market will soon get its day in court – trade court. The World Trade Organization announced Aug. 31 it is creating a dispute settlement panel to hear Canada’s arguments about why South Korea’s continuing ban of Canadian beef imports because of BSE violates WTO […] Read more
Grain dryers may be busy
Late maturing crops and the prospect of an extended harvest could result in heavy demand for custom grain drying services across the Prairies this fall. Grant McLean, crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said crops across the West are well behind schedule and drying days will be at a premium this fall. In Saskatchewan, just three […] Read more
