Livestock Management
RENO, Nev. – Twelve ethanol plants are located within a 60 kilometre radius of Howard Mogler’s Iowa feedlot. After a dozen years of blending ethanol byproducts into cattle feed rations, he has learned a thing or two about these alternatives. He also dismisses the bad news stories about sulfur poisoning of calves, foaming liquids and […] Read more
Livestock Management
Ethanol byproducts beneficial when properly used
Saskatoon firm sends pigs to China
China’s quest to raise a better pig got a boost from the export of 866 live animals by Saskatoon based Fast Genetics in January. The company shipped the animals by truck to the United States and then loaded the Landrace, Large White and Durocs on a plane in Chicago, Illinois. They flew to Chengdu, China, […] Read more
Alberta readies new animal health act
RED DEER – A new Alberta animal health act requiring quicker response to disease outbreaks or other emergencies is expected to be in force this fall. “The faster you can respond, the less impact the disease will have on the province as a whole,” said Gerald Ollis, chief provincial veterinarian. The Animal Health Act was […] Read more
Alta. cattle health study to focus on reproduction
A new cattle health surveillance project is being launched in west-central Alberta. The Sundre Petroleum Operators Group (SPOG) is leading the program, which follows the original study that assessed livestock health in an area with high oil and gas activity. The original study covered eight beef herds and one dairy herd in the Sundre, Olds […] Read more
Address discontent, say beef producers
LETHBRIDGE – Cecilie Fleming believes the Alberta Beef Producers must change and become more nimble if the province’s cattle industry is to survive. “We need an extreme beef makeover,” said Fleming during a review of the organization and its structure. “I’m desperately concerned about the state of our beef industry. Our whole beef industry is […] Read more
NAFTA cattle challenge denied; gov’t suit possible
An arbitration tribunal under the North American Free Trade Agreement has thrown out a precedent setting application by Canadian cattle producers that U.S. bans on Canadian livestock violated the agreement. In a decision last week the tribunal ruled that the Canadian cattle producers may have had a legitimate complaint against the American government when the […] Read more
CFIA still studying TB links
A northern British Columbia bull confirmed to have bovine tuberculosis last fall may have exposed more than 1,000 animals to the disease, says a Canadian Food Inspection Agency update. All of the animals are being traced to determine their location and assess their exposure to bovine TB. All animals that are confirmed to have been […] Read more
Cattle lease deals risky
Given today’s prices, a cattle leasing agreement requires either a foolhardy investor or a rancher willing to work for free. Unless a cash-rich investor is seeking a tax shelter, no cattle producer with business sense would agree to a leasing agreement that will end up costing him money, said Manitoba Agriculture beef production specialist John […] Read more
Water, manure practices studied in Alberta
FORT MACLEOD, Alta. – A five-year study to assess the effectiveness of recommended practices for handling manure and other water supply threats starts this spring at two Alberta locations. Andrea Kalischuk of Alberta Agriculture said past studies show agricultural practices can have a detrimental effect on water quality. The test sites in Lacombe County and […] Read more
Aussie horse flu shows disease’s speed
RED DEER – An equine influenza outbreak in Australia last August is a good example of how fast a disease can spread within a population without immunity and how governments can respond. The nonfatal disease affected thousands of horses in New South Wales and throughout Australia. The government hopes to eradicate it by the end […] Read more
