Livestock Management
The 108-year-old Calgary Bull Sale has become more than a cattle genetics venue with the addition of a dog and horse sale. The latter was added three years ago to revitalize the event and it has grown into a standing-room-only sale. “We want this to be a unique sale,” said Don Raffan, a rancher and […] Read more
Livestock Management
Bull sale adds dogs, horses to draw crowds
Culled boars, sows not worth making trip to market
John Middel recently sold a three-year-old, 625 pound Duroc cross boar. He received a cheque for $5.25. The price offered by Quintain, the Red Deer marketing company, was $6.25, less $1 for Alberta Pork’s marketing levy, for the grand total of $5.25. “It was a beautiful looking boar. He was in good shape,” said Middel, […] Read more
Beef group gets promotion advice
RED DEER – Beef industry angst, caused by high debt, eroding equity, trade barriers and changing consumer tastes, is like history repeating itself, says a University of Calgary historian. Since the West opened to settlement, ranchers have faced trade disputes with the United States, bad weather and economic depression. “You will survive this and you […] Read more
Lamb nutrition starts with adequate colostrum
RED DEER – Getting lambs to market at the optimal weight is based on a conscientious feed program that starts at birth, says a Masterfeeds nutritionist. Since there is little research on lamb and sheep feeding, the company ran its own trials on a number of large flocks, said Alan Dyke at a lamb feeding […] Read more
BSE answer still elusive
RED DEER – Every bit of information gained from BSE research is another piece in the jigsaw puzzle of brain diseases. Researchers at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at Lethbridge joined a contingent of international scientists trying to understand the origins and pathways of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, those degenerative neurological diseases affecting many species, including […] Read more
Canada’s BSE total now 12 animals
A six-year-old dairy cow from the Edmonton area has tested positive for BSE, said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Feb. 26. It’s Canada’s 12th case since 2003 when BSE was discovered in a cow in northern Alberta. CFIA senior veterinarian George Luterbach said BSE cases would likely continue to appear because of Canada’s extensive testing […] Read more
Manitoba subsidizes TB tests
Ranchers in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain Eradication Area, who are required to test their cattle for tuberculosis, will soon receive provincial assistance of $6 per head. According to a recent announcement by agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk, Manitoba’s contribution of $240,000 represents 40 percent of the costs related to TB testing. The province will encourage the federal […] Read more
The lasting impact of BSE in Canada
When Canada announced its first case of home-grown BSE on May 20, 2003, the effects were immediate and devastating. This disease still haunts the beef industry. Even now, when BSE is mentioned, it’s quick to hit the headlines. According to the World Organization for Animal Health, 25 countries have found BSE in home-grown cattle. Great […] Read more
Producer profit focus of beef program
RED DEER – An ambitious plan called Canada Gold Beef is designed to hoist the cattle industry out of its post BSE slump. The strategy was formed after a special meeting with Alberta agriculture minister George Groeneveld last October that discussed how to salvage the faltering beef industry without special government payments. It is an […] Read more
Survey builds picture of cattle hauling
RED DEER – A study of Alberta-based livestock truckers hopes to provide guidance to federal officials as they revise transportation rules under the animal health act. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is consulting the livestock hauling and related industries to revise its 30-year-old regulations. Groups including the Alberta Beef Producers asked for a Canadian-based study […] Read more
