Livestock Management
Cattle producers often don’t suspect they have Johne’s disease in their herd until an animal is obviously ill. That’s why dairy producers such as Michael Hall don’t think the country’s voluntary national Johne’s disease program goes far enough in its efforts to detect and eradicate the disease. Producers know little about the disease, he said […] Read more
Livestock Management
Johne’s difficult disease to track
Pasture health requires examination of plants
WATERTON, Alta. – A pasture may look green and lush from the road but a walk across the land presents a different picture. For the pasture manager, a close examination may reveal a landscape of bare patches, noxious weeds and weak grass growth. A pasture school in southwestern Alberta adjacent to Waterton Lakes National Park […] Read more
Bison swim in diluted gene pool
RAPID CITY, S.D. – If you’ve got bison, you’ve also got cattle – at least a little bit. Geneticist Jim Derr says cattle genes are present in nearly all commercial bison herds. Whether this is a problem is part of a larger genetic issue. Bison enjoy significant health advantages over other bovines, in part because […] Read more
China targets U.S. pork exporters for residue
Fifteen pork processing plants in the United States have fallen afoul of China’s zero tolerance for ractopamine residues, and have been delisted as approved exporters, according to recent reports. An unspecified number of other plants have been placed on a 45 day watch list, which means that if their products are found to be free […] Read more
Alberta sheep owners dislike tag checkoff
The $1 check-off fee for the Alberta Sheep and Wool Commission shouldn’t be attached to the mandatory identification program, say some sheep producers. Sheep and lambs sold in Canada must have a Canadian Sheep Identification Program pink ear tag before they leave their farms. When Alberta producers buy the mandatory ear tags, they must also […] Read more
Man. beef producers test insurance for calves
HALIFAX – A group of 100 Manitoba cattle producers will be guinea pigs next year as they take part in a pilot project to see whether the crop insurance model can work for calves. They will pay a premium to insure their 2008 calf crop and receive payments if mortality rates exceed their level of […] Read more
Livestock cull compensation rises
The amount of compensation paid to producers if their animals are ordered destroyed for disease control has increased for everything from guinea pigs to cattle and bison, but decreased for most of the poultry industry. For registered purebred cattle, or male elk and deer, the cap has increased to $8,000, up from $2,500 in an […] Read more
Uncertainty lingers over border opening
HALIFAX – Although it is expected the United States administration will move this autumn to open the border to Canadian cattle older than 30 months, Canadian producers should not assume that will be the end of the border issue. A senior Canadian Cattlemen’s Association official warned last week that American political and legal systems could […] Read more
Sask. plant plans horse meat exports to EU
A Saskatchewan slaughter company that built a reputation for processing naturally raised, hormone-free cattle is moving into another niche market – horse meat. Ken Piller, president of Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Sask., says his plant will begin custom slaughtering horses for European clients within the next few weeks. Natural Valley, which owns specialty slaughter […] Read more
Algae strikes Sask. livestock
It was early August when Ivan Thomson realized something bad was happening with his herd of bison. But it would take a few days to figure exactly what. Out checking his pastures one day, the Dinsmore, Sask., farmer came across seven mature nursing females lying dead in the field. “We had no clue what it […] Read more
