Livestock Management
LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. – If livestock shows were cattle, the Stockade Roundup would be the one that every purebred producer in Lloydminster’s border region would bid on. In tough times and in good, the event draws local commercial cattle producers from a 250 kilometre radius, and that brings in the purebred breeders. “This show isn’t the […] Read more
Livestock Management
Lloydminster sale draws from two provinces
Breeders welcome open border
The expected opening of the U.S. border to Canadian cattle Nov. 19 is breeding optimism among purebred cattle producers. As he gave a show calf a buzz cut at last week’s Livestock Expo in Brandon, Chad Levesque of Chopper K Red Angus in Carnduff, Sask., said American customers bought 10 percent of his farm’s bulls, […] Read more
Feds ignore livestock sector woes
A significant slice of Canada’s beef and hog sectors will disappear within months if the federal government does not provide subsidies, says Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter. But last week, the government gave no indication help is coming, other than promising that existing business risk management programs will not expire March 31, 2008, without a […] Read more
Livestock feed test critical to good weight gain
VIRDEN, Man. – Cattle producers who haven’t tested their feed and don’t have a clue about feed intake should not call John Popp. The Manitoba Agriculture beef specialist says there’s no way producers can know what kind of results to expect from a feeding program without good information about the nutritional content of their hay […] Read more
West’s dairy stars head to Toronto fair
RED DEER – The Holstein winner’s circle belonged to Morsan Farms and partners at the Westerner Dairy Showcase held Oct. 25-27. The jewel in the crown was awarded when Morsan’s four-year-old Tomalynn Leduc Della took the grand championship and best udder of the show in a lineup of what judge Bruce Wood called the ultra […] Read more
Pigs able to eat tested DDG
RED DEER – Dried distillers grain (DDG) can be successfully fed to hogs, but a swine nutritionist says it’s important to know the sources of the feed and the quality of each batch. “It is really important we know the source of the product and where the product is coming from,” Malachy Young told a […] Read more
Age verification hassles annoy producers
NITON JUNCTION, Alta. – For three years Ralph Burns has faithfully recorded the birthdays of each of his 200 calves and spent a frustrating two days entering the birth dates in the Canadian Cattle Identification Association computer system. But it makes Burns’ blood boil to see the information he gathered tossed into the garbage when […] Read more
Mouth infections come in many forms
Lumpy jaw and wooden tongue are similar in that they both attack tissues in cattle’s mouths and cause swelling, but otherwise they are completely different. Lumpy jaw is caused by the fungus Actinomyces bovis, which is why it’s called Actinomycosis. If something pierces the lining of the mouth, it opens a door for the fungus […] Read more
Research centre to sell herd
Cattle producers will get a chance to pick up tried and true Charolais genetics Nov. 5 when Agriculture Canada’s research centre in One-Four, Alta., sells its herd. More than 100 purebred cows and heifers raised at the ranch in southeastern Alberta will be on sale in Lethbridge. The cows have been on the ranch since […] Read more
Review of circovirus battle instructive
RED DEER – A full blown case of circovirus disease at a southern Alberta hog operation two years ago left the farm veterinarian and manager frustrated over this serious wasting infection. At the time, circovirus was seen occasionally in young pigs but little was done about it, said swine veterinarian Pete Pawluk. One to three […] Read more
