Livestock Management
The Canadian goat industry is encouraging producers to participate in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s scrapie surveillance program. Since mid-May, the CFIA and the Canadian National Goat Federation have operated a voluntary tagging program for goats as a way to randomly test for scrapie, a brain wasting disease similar to BSE in cattle. Tags are […] Read more
Livestock Management
Scrapie testing needs goat herds
Good beef, tender steak
Studies over the years have shown that consumers evaluate their beef consuming experiences based on tenderness, flavour and juiciness. The Warner-Bratzler shear test is one of the most objective ways to measure tenderness. The system mimics the force needed for human teeth to cut livestock muscle tissue. Fat and fluids in the tissue make it […] Read more
Packers ready for SRM law
Canada’s meat industry will comply with the July 12 start of the enhanced ban on specified risk material, although preparations have been a bit of a scramble, a senior packing sector official said last week. The packers still are waiting for a government response to their request for $50 million over two years to help […] Read more
Cattle producers worry about ethanol
The U.S. cattle industry is asking legislators to halt a bill that will appear before the Senate in the next few weeks calling for a dramatic increase in the renewable fuel standard, a stance supported by its Canadian counterparts. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association contends the Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act of 2007 […] Read more
Community pasture patrons to change
Who will patronize Saskatchewan public pastures of the future? Murray Jelinski says he’s not sure, but he knows it won’t be the same ones who now keep an average of 28 cows in the pastures. “The demographics of North American farmers and business trends tell us that the user of today’s pastures won’t be around […] Read more
Ultrasound helps pick market date
PICTURE BUTTE, Alta. – A steer crashes through the chute and in less than five seconds its back fat, muscle depth and marbling score analysis have been captured. These measurements tell a producer how that animal’s carcass should grade and how much more time it needs to be on feed before it is slaughtered. All […] Read more
Weather ideal for return of anthrax
If cattle die suddenly this summer, anthrax may be the culprit. The disease is expected again in Saskatchewan this year because the weather conditions that support it will also be back. Anthrax killed a record number of cattle in the province last year and was also found in Manitoba and in an isolated case in […] Read more
Tips on practical heat detection – Animal Health
Several goals must be kept in mind when looking into an artificial insemination program for a cattle operation. Achieving pregnancies is of course the most important goal. Improving the herd’s genetic base is also important, whether the producer is a commercial operator or seed stock breeder. To be successful, however, producers must first consider the […] Read more
Australian rancher battles drought
MANDURAMA, Australia – A kangaroo leaps out of the ditch in front of Guy Fitzhardinge as he turns out of his driveway. The scene is thrilling for visitors, but the Australian rancher is grateful the dusty brown creature did not wreck his car. Herds of kangaroo are common on his beef farm in west-central New […] Read more
Designing a successful culling program
When it comes time to cull their cows, producers tend to break them into two groups: those that excel in reproductive performance and longevity, and those that don’t. This allocation is not cut and dried and depends on cow age, pregnancy status, medical reasons for culling and what percentage of the herd is to be […] Read more
