Livestock Management
Restoring access to the United States market is a priority for the Canadian cattle industry because the alternative is too painful to contemplate, says one cattle industry expert. “Canada’s beef industry must export to survive. We have no choice,” said Charlie Gracey, a cattle industry analyst for four decades, who spoke as part of a […] Read more
Livestock Management
Supply management system called non-starter for cattle
Market pain to linger
Corn is a notorious nitrogen hog, but a Manitoba cattle producer has figured out a way around the high cost of growing the crop as a winter feed source for his cows. By planting the corn on the herd’s manure and urine left over in his wintering field from previous years, he was able to […] Read more
Winter corn grazing provides free nutrients
Within six months there could be an end of turmoil in financial and commodity markets, but in the meantime, there will be more pain for cattle producers. “I think commodity markets are oversold. Everybody’s on the run, trying to get the heck out of everything,” Rob Leslie of Canfax said in a market update at […] Read more
New Alta. livestock rules
New Alberta livestock legislation comes into effect Jan. 1. One law deals with livestock identification and the other with animal health. Adrienne Waller, counsel for Alberta Beef Producers, said the Livestock Identification and Commerce Act received royal assent in 2006 and is a consolidation of the Brand Act, Livestock Identification and Commerce Act and Livestock […] Read more
Antioxidant gives sperm fighting chance
Sperm suffers when too little semen is used to service too many sows. The problem isn’t too few sperm per shot of semen, says an artificial insemination supply company. Instead, it’s the loss of important compounds in the seminal fluid that keep the sperm alive. The company, Minitube Canada, believes it has found a magic, […] Read more
Pork producers grapple with brand
Pork producers need to find ways to encourage people to buy Canadian meat if they are to save their industry. Alberta pork producers developed a strategy earlier this year but it already needs a rewrite because of changing market conditions, analysts told the organization’s annual meeting Dec. 4. “It is not just about Canada or […] Read more
Pros, cons of different calving times
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Calving dates always generate debate. Is it better to calve in the January cold, the iffy weather of April or the warmth of June? Three producers offered their perspective at the recent Foraging into the Future conference. Winter Karla and Jason Hicks of Bluestone Stock Farms near Mortlach, Sask., start calving […] Read more
Pork producers seek new customers
LETHBRIDGE – The average Canadian pork consumer is often middle-aged with an income of more than $50,000 who wants to buy domestically produced meat. Serving that group and finding new fans is one of the many challenges the pork industry faces as it seeks to build a wider customer base among those who can afford […] Read more
Cattle trained to eat leafy spurge, weeds
What if there was a solar-powered gadget that would cruise pastures, eat pesky leafy spurge and eject it out the back as fertilizer? Of course, sheep and goats eat spurge, but in many cases problems such as predators can prevent them from being used. Cattle, on the other hand, can be trained to eat weeds, […] Read more
Alta. producers leery of strategy
Beef producers remain anxious over Alberta’s Livestock and Meat Strategy. The government strategy, which was first announced in June, resulted in considerable debate at the Alberta Beef Producers annual meeting Dec. 8-10, where delegates were assured it is a catalyst to put the once powerful industry back on its feet. Alberta agriculture minister George Groeneveld […] Read more
