Livestock Management
Storing genetic information to help producers make better production choices and improve beef quality is a new service at the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. The agency plans to use its database to identify economically valuable genetic traits and link it to an animal’s individual identification number. “We certainly need to identify the genetics and the […] Read more
Livestock Management
Cattle producers get access to genetic information
What do U.S. labels mean to Canada?
The United States released its rules for mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) July 28. Circulated as part of the government’s 2008 farm bill, the rule covers beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken and goat as well as fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and ginseng. It has been published in the Federal Register, […] Read more
Proper grounding grids keep stray voltage on leash
Beyond simple aesthetics, Grandpa’s dairy barn had something else going for it. The wooden framing, stalls and mangers didn’t conduct electricity, so the cows inside were never disturbed by stray voltage. Today, modern dairy barns built on reinforced concrete pads, steel stanchions and covered with metallic sheathing have created an environment where cows can get […] Read more
Fleckvieh improves dairy costs
BIG VALLEY, Alta. – Adding some Brown Swiss, Jersey or Montbeliarde cows to rejuvenate a Holstein herd is becoming commonplace, but one Alberta dairy turned its operation around by adding Fleckviehs from Germany. Cornel and Cremona Primrose at Big Valley are converting their Holstein based commercial dairy to Fleckvieh by importing semen from Germany to […] Read more
EU, halal certification to boost Sunterra sales
Sunterra Meats has received approval to process and export beef to the European Union. The federally inspected plant at Innisfail, Alta., which handles specialty meat products including beef, bison, sheep and goats, also achieved certification to process meats for the halal trade. A halal technician certified by the Islamic Society of North America has been […] Read more
Pastures revel in trash talk
HERSCHEL, Sask. – Farmers huddled together in a native pasture on a recent warm summer day to talk trash. Jeremy Brown, a range agrologist with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, said during a July 9 field tour organized by the Saskatchewan Forage Council that trash is the litter that remains in a field after grazing. “This […] Read more
Vet drug imports cause problems
A “loophole” that creates a major headache for Canada’s animal drug manufacturers is getting worse, the industry says. When industry representatives sat down a little more than a year ago with Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials, they complained about a loophole that allows more than 20 percent of the Canadian market to be filled by […] Read more
Charolais event brings out best
OLDS, Alta. – Livestock youth events offer public speaking, marketing tips and even crafts, but for Marina Rasmussen it is all about the cattle. The 20-year-old member of the Canadian Charolais youth association has worked with cattle all her life and moves between youth and adult events. At the national conference in Olds her string […] Read more
Handlers gain show experience
STRATHMORE, Alta., – When the 50 young people from the Young Canadian Simmental Association parade their cattle before the judge, they do so entirely on their own. Learning to do for themselves is one skill members of the youth organization encourage when provincial or national events are held for young Simmental enthusiasts. “As far as […] Read more
Anthrax reported in Saskatchewan
The third anthrax outbreak of the year in Saskatchewan has killed seven bison in the Rural Municipality of Paddockwood, about 200 kilometres north of Saskatoon. The deaths occurred last week, a few days after a single case of anthrax was diagnosed in cattle in the Ponass Lake area, north of Wadena. The first case of […] Read more
