Livestock Management
Animal welfare is not a new concept, but more governments are turning it into the law of the land. David Fraser, head of the University of British Columbia’s animal welfare department, told a recent meeting of the National Farm Animal Council about the evolution of animal care and treatment. Nearly 200 years ago, the United […] Read more
Livestock Management
Animal welfare issues prevalent worldwide
Resistance becoming major problem in deworming treatments
Deworming beef cattle is standard recommended practice, but dewormers may not be doing their job. Resistance has been confirmed with many deworming products in the United States. Studies need to be done in Canada to find out if money is going down the drain. Producers used to deworm only when worm loads in their cattle […] Read more
Farrier group ponders professional standard
The farrier business is an unregulated industry that leaves horse owners with little way of knowing if the farrier they hired to shoe their horses is competent. “Probably 70 percent of horse owners don’t know the difference between a good and bad farrier,” Edmonton farrier Jason Wrubleski said during a panel discussion on farrier standards […] Read more
Long winter devours hay supplies
A late-season hailstorm last fall ruined much of Leam Craig’s crop. Normally that would be a bad news story, but in this case there was a silver lining behind those dark hail clouds. The cattle producer from Biggar, Sask., harvested what was left of the crop for feed. “That turned out to be the salvation […] Read more
Good times will come, hog producers told
Most producers are having a hard time seeing a profitable future in hog farming right now. “We’re going through some pretty tough times here,” Manitoba Pork Council chair Karl Kynoch said at the beginning of the organization’s annual meeting. Country-of-origin labelling, high feed grain prices, slumping demand and a provincial government policy make survival challenging, […] Read more
Hog outlook invites optimism
This is going to be a break-even year for most pig producers, a U.S. hog market expert says, but that’s a lot better than last year’s big losses. “I’m an optimist here,” said Steve Meyer of Paragon Economics. “I still think that we’re going to have some reasonably good prices.” Meyer expects farmers lost money […] Read more
Sow meat top quality
A lot of hog farmers think their big, old sows are the source of the mystery meat that forms hot dogs and other low-grade meat products. But that’s a terrible misperception, says Steve Meyer, a leading meat industry economist. According to Meyer, sow meat is a premium meat. “You would never use good big sow […] Read more
Youth show richest ever
A national steer show for young beef showmen will be held in Olds, Alta. May 8-9. The show will offer more than $20,000 in prizes and scholarships, making it Canada’s richest youth steer and heifer event. It is open to anyone 21 or younger. Entry fees are $55 per animal, which must be received on […] Read more
Animal friendly practices pay off
RED DEER – Animal management must be the major consideration when building dairy barns, says an animal welfare researcher. “If you build certain kinds of facilities for animals, it is going to have some long-term payoff,” Dan Weary of the University of British Columbia told the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association’s annual meeting. The payoff […] Read more
Pigs make comeback
Pam Heath laughed when asked how many Tamworth pigs she owns. “It’s not going to impress your readers very much,” said Heath, who has one Tamworth, a rare breed also known as the Irish Grazer, on her farm near Nesbitt, Man. What’s more impressive is Heath’s effort to rebuild the Tamworth population and her work […] Read more
