Livestock Management
Two men accused of allowing 28 horses to starve to death near Andrew, Alta., have pleaded guilty and have been banned from owning horses. Axel Hinz-Schleuter and Dale Huber pleaded guilty Nov. 17 to allowing more than 100 horses to be in distress and failure to provide food and water for the animals. The judge […] Read more
Livestock Management
Alta. horse owners guilty
Proper deworming prevents resistance
Keeping worms out of goats requires special attention. Dr. Reuben Neumier, an expert in small ruminants, says dosages for goats must be modified because most medications are used off-label. For common deworming medications such as ivermectin, a typical dose would be 1.5 to two times that given to sheep. “Goats metabolize the dewormer faster than […] Read more
Breeders watch for Angus calf syndrome
A genetic condition that results in stillborn, deformed calves has been discovered in the Angus herd. Known as curly calf syndrome, or arthrogryposis, the condition was first reported by Angus breeders more than a year ago in the United States. It has not occurred in Canada but the situation is being monitored, said a spokesperson […] Read more
Salers back in spotlight
EDMONTON – Rod Hannah tried several breeds of cattle, but after he discovered Salers in 1975, he stayed with them. “They’re the best,” said Hannah at the Salers national show at Farmfair International. “They’re good mothers, they cross really well and they want to calve. My cows calve on their own,” said Hannah of Didsbury, […] Read more
Pitfalls of packer ownership
EDMONTON – Ever since a case of BSE was discovered in Canada in 2003, producers, politicians and community leaders have been trying to inject life into the slumping beef industry. BSE drove prices down and kept Canada out of international beef and cattle markets. Many people in the industry looked to community owned packing plants […] Read more
Impact of dollar plunge doused by COOL
NEPAWA, Man. – A recent plunge in the Canadian dollar to below 80 cents US should have sent American cattle buyers scrambling to fill their orders north of the border. One reason that hasn’t happened is uncertainty over the implications of country-of-origin labelling in the United States. COOL has forced packers there to back off […] Read more
Producers ask minister to resign
WESTLOCK, Alta. – Alberta beef producers angry with the government’s livestock and meat strategy voted to ask for the resignation of the minister of agriculture. Delegates at an ABP meeting in Mayerthorpe also voted recently to ask for the minister’s resignation. “I think ABP in the past has had excellent rapport with the minister. I […] Read more
ABP fears for checkoff
WESTLOCK, Alta. – Alberta Beef Producers members are worried the province’s agriculture minister will order their organization to give up its mandatory checkoff and divide it among other beef cattle groups. Harvey Hagman, an ABP director, said other smaller cattle groups such as the Western Stock Growers Association and the Beef Initiative Group have lobbied […] Read more
Age identification saves: beef specialist
Beef producers who haven’t age verified their calves might be costing themselves money at the auction mart. Manitoba Agriculture beef production specialist John Popp says the process is not rocket science, and efforts have been made to simplify it. Batch-verifying an entire spring’s calf crop is the simplest way to get it done, Popp recently […] Read more
Family’s Simmentals sweep show
EDMONTON – A pair of black Simmentals owned by Rancier Farms of Killam, Alta., made Farmfair history by winning supreme champion bull and female. It’s the first time since the Supreme Show of Champions began in 2002 that a Simmental has won both top bull and female at the event. It is also the first […] Read more
