Livestock Management
RED DEER – Setting a target of a 90 percent farrowing rate on a hog farm is possible but maintaining that level is the real success story. “There are people who work to get the farm working and there is stockmanship,” said Egidijus Mickevicius of Pig Improvement Canada. Mickevicius and Pat Monaghan of Paragon Pork […] Read more
Livestock Management
Hog barn workers must know rules for breeding
Sheep conformation called essential
An old saying advises never to look a gift horse in the mouth. However, a sheep researcher from Quebec says sheep with bad teeth are never a bargain, no matter what the asking price. Johanne Cameron, who has a 600-head flock and works for CEPOQ, Quebec’s centre for excellence in sheep production, said because of […] Read more
Ethnic preferences change with seasons
Producers seeking to tap the growing ethnic market for lamb have been encouraged to cater to their customers’ particular preferences. Mamoon Rashid, a sheep and goat business development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, says these preferences may vary widely from one community to the next and from one time of year to another. Also, because festive […] Read more
Program to improve sheep profits
Hog and dairy producers have long benefited from extensive genetic records and databases that provide information to buyers seeking improved sires. Sheep producers may be a little late arriving at the same game, but now a program jointly managed by the Quebec and Ontario agricultural ministries called GenOvis is offering them a leg up toward […] Read more
Dairy expos showcase quality
RED DEER – Canadian cattle returned to the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, this year, after a five year hiatus, and they triumphed. The supreme champion came from Pierre Boulet of Montmagny, Quebec, and was bred by Thrulane Holsteins of Elmira, Ont. The world expo featured 2,600 animals and 890 exhibitors from 37 states […] Read more
DNA-labelled meat tested in B.C. stores
British Columbia grocery store customers will soon have more than a label stuck on a package of meat to assure them of the beef’s origin. They will have DNA proof tracking the beef back to a specific animal. Animals from 14 farms with Prairie Heritage Beef Producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan will be DNA tested […] Read more
Mexico lifts trade ban
Mexico has agreed to lift its ban on Canadian breeding cattle. The suspension was placed in August when Canada reported its 14th case of BSE in a six-year-old Alberta beef cow. “It was an unfortunate gap in our Mexican market,” said Rick McRonald of the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association. He said the brief closure was […] Read more
Horse buyers want quality stock only
Auction market owner Wayne Johnstone pauses before answering a question about what’s happening with the price of horses in Canada. “It doesn’t look good,” said Johnstone. What Johnstone calls “plain horses,” or the bottom end of those that go through his Moose Jaw sales ring, sell for $50 to $150. Slightly better horses will fetch […] Read more
Canada talks tough with South Korea over beef trade
Talks to get Canadian beef back into South Korea start Nov. 3. Canada has been unable to ship beef since 2003 and repeated efforts to negotiate a re-entry have failed. If talks fail this time round, Canada told South Korea it will launch a World Trade Organization challenge to reopen the border. “It reflects a […] Read more
WTO beef ban ruling favours Canada, U.S.
The World Trade Organization appeal body has ruled in favour of Canada and the United States in a lengthy dispute with the European Union over its ban on beef from cattle that receive growth-promoting hormones. The WTO concluded Oct. 16 that the EU can continue to ban imports of beef treated with growth hormones, but […] Read more
