Livestock Management
The University of Calgary’s veterinary school is moving toward earning accreditation this fall and hopes to admit its first students in September 2008. Representatives from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association visit Calgary this June, and provisional approval is expected by September. Developing a new faculty from scratch takes time, […] Read more
Livestock Management
New Alta. vet school on target for 2008
Quebec’s higher costs swallow organic profits
Quebec’s organic livestock farmers are having a tough time making ends meet, a problem that doesn’t appear to extend to the Prairies. A study conducted by the Union of Organic Meat Producers of Quebec shows lamb and beef producers are barely covering their costs. According to a translated summary of the study that ran in […] Read more
U.S. ethanol shifts feeding dynamics
Rick Paskal is looking around his Picture Butte, Alta., cattle feeding businesses for some advantages that will keep him and his neighbours competitive with their Midwest American counterparts. “I’m not finding that competitive edge we’ve had,” Paskal said. “I am finding government policies regarding ethanol that are interfering with the (livestock) marketplace.” Paskal, like cattle […] Read more
Pigs turn up snouts at feed
On paper, wheat distillers grain appears to be a great, high protein feed source for pigs. But it’s a different story at the trough. “There seems to be a problem with feed intake,” said John Patience of the Prairie Swine Centre. The problem is pigs don’t seem to like eating it, which would be bad […] Read more
Study aims to crack CWD, BSE mysteries
Researchers artificially infecting elk and cattle with fatal brain wasting diseases hope the experiments solve long-standing mysteries associated with chronic wasting disease and BSE. “We know a lot and we don’t know a lot, which is surprising and very different compared to other diseases,” said scientist Stephanie Czub, who heads the prion, pathology and virology […] Read more
Overcapacity plagues packers
The struggle to find workers is costing the Canadian beef packing industry $1.5 billion a year in lost revenue, experts say. The greatest losses are in Alberta because most of the processing occurs in that province, where the economy is booming and labour shortage woes have become commonplace. Added to the labour shortage are problems […] Read more
U.S. putting horses off limits as human food
Horses destined for slaughter are not likely to be rerouted to Canada now that a federal appeals court ruling in the United States has effectively halted the practice of turning horses into human food. Les Burwash of Alberta Agriculture’s horse industry branch said legislation before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that mirrors the […] Read more
City people want animals treated fairly
RED DEER – As more people move away from the farm a cultural confusion has developed over the role of animals as pets or meat. The divide may continue to widen as urbanites look at animal welfare as an ethical question while agriculture continues to credit science with the advances made in livestock care. “We […] Read more
Bison farmers face supply crunch
The biggest obstacle facing Canada’s 1,900 bison producers is no longer a lack of slaughter capacity but instead a looming shortage of animals, according to Mark Silzer, president of the Canadian Bison Association. Consumption growth of 20 percent per year could outpace the industry’s annual production within two to three years unless producers start planning […] Read more
Hereford breeder sees 50 years of change
MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – Hector Schneider says today’s Horned Hereford bulls look better than ever. He should know. He bought his first bull at the Maple Creek Beef Breeders’ Association annual sale in 1950, back when the show and sale were held in the fall. Records show the event was being held as early as […] Read more
