Livestock Management
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Bovine viral diarrhea virus was identified more than 60 years ago and remains a confounding disease for livestock producers. At an international symposium on BVD, producers said they have noticed a greater than normal number of sickly or dead animals. The disease has been found throughout the world and is responsible for […] Read more
Livestock Management
Type of BVD determines treatment
Sheep sector weighs value-added options
Lamb producers and processors hope to earn $10 to $15 more for each lamb through more efficient marketing and production practices. Tim Stolz, an Alberta member of a committee set up to explore value-added opportunities for the prairie lamb industry, said the idea is to increase the amount and quality of lamb available. He said […] Read more
Greener pastures elusive
They tried to sound optimistic last week about the long-term benefits of Ottawa’s focus on expanding trade, but cattle industry leaders also presented a sombre picture of an industry in peril. “We do not have time on our side,” said the usually optimistic Ted Haney, president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation (CBEF). The national […] Read more
Beef exporters praise Ritz’s trade efforts
The semi-annual meeting of the Canada Beef Export Federation was winding down March 17 when chair Gib Drury urged someone in the audience to move a motion of thanks for agriculture minister Gerry Ritz. It was quickly done. An e-mail was sent that day thanking the minister for his market access promotion “and telling him […] Read more
Eyes predict cattle temperament
The next time a cow jumps over a fence, chases the dog or refuses to go down a chute, take a close look at its eyes. Researchers at the University of Guelph have determined that cattle with a larger proportion of white in their eyes are more likely to be excitable. The scientists discovered this […] Read more
Bull buyers willing to pay top price at Regina sale
Average sale prices were up for all breeds at last week’s Regina Bull Sale, but particularly for Simmental and Charolais bulls. Prices have been strong for both breeds this spring as producers look to add extra growth on their calves and earn more money, said sale secretary Candace By. “Guys want more bang for their […] Read more
Research to study what affects embryo development
The University of Alberta will host a $9 million research network to determine which environmental factors affect embryo development in cattle and hogs. Researchers will focus on maternal nutrition and assisted reproductive technologies. “We’ll be looking at the environment in which those embryos are created and are forming,” said George Foxcroft, co-director of the Natural […] Read more
Horse sector considers biosecurity
A made-in-Saskatchewan biosecurity system for the horse industry has the best chance of success, says a retired hog veterinarian. Jim Sawatsky, who raises crossbred hitch horses near Humboldt, Sask., and spent 35 years overseeing biosecurity in hog barns, said it has to be producer driven for people to believe in it. “If you told them […] Read more
4-Hers show top quality at Regina sale
Six-year-old Hadley Schmidt was dwarfed by her 4-H steer, 973 pound First Chance. As a result, she needed a little assistance to walk the Maine-Anjou/Angus steer through the show ring at Canadian Western Agribition’s Spring Steer and Heifer Show in Regina. Fittingly, Marcella Hamilton, a senior in the Carlton Trail 4-H Beef Club, was doing […] Read more
Cattle rustling alive and well in Alberta
RED DEER – Warren Brower figures he has lost more than 100 cattle to thieves in the last five years. The rancher from Aden, Alta., who raises 500 cows near the Montana-Alberta border, is so frustrated he has asked the Western Stock Growers Association to investigate a plan to provide an insurance policy to cover […] Read more
