Livestock Management
EDMONTON – Greg Pugh got down on one knee in the middle of the cow barns at Farmfair and asked Lyndsay Jackson to marry him. When she said yes, he slipped on the diamond ring that he won in the cattle show that morning. “I thought we could pawn the ring and buy a heifer […] Read more
Livestock Management
Farmfair’s ring event has happy ending
Red Angus fan has passion to doctor up breed
EDMONTON – Dr. Christiaan Gerber is a cattle breeder in a hurry. The South African medical doctor doesn’t have a lifetime to breed the perfect Red Angus animal. He wants to use modern technology to improve the cattle breed. “I’m a latecomer in the industry. I don’t have time to waste,” said Gerber as he […] Read more
More women take on cattle primping duties
EDMONTON – All-women crews are becoming more common in the show circuit. At the barns at Farmfair it’s not unusual to see teams of women washing, drying, showing, fitting and selling their cattle. “There’s getting to be a lot of all-women crews,” said Cheryl Olanski, who came to the show with her daughter, Deidre, and […] Read more
Sharing plans with public key, hog study finds
A good neighbour policy goes a long way toward resolving and quelling conflicts in communities with large-scale swine operations. A study by the University of Guelph in Ontario has found livestock operators can develop positive relationships in communities through “neighbourly acts,” said Wayne Caldwell of the university’s school of environmental design and rural development. Those […] Read more
Ont. greenhorn wins top Shorthorn bull
EDMONTON – Some cattle producers try all their lives to win a national cattle show. It took Rick Salzsauler two years. “It’s awesome. It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” said a tired looking Salzsauler the day after his two-year-old bull won grand champion at the national Shorthorn show at Farmfair. Two years ago Salzsauler didn’t own […] Read more
Hereford show ideal way to build contacts
EDMONTON – Before Bill Biglieni decided to haul cattle across three provinces to the national Hereford show at Farmfair in Edmonton, he held a family meeting. Would the benefits of coming to the national show outweigh the cost of pulling a heavy stock trailer loaded with cattle and staying in a hotel and eating in […] Read more
Canadian cattle attract global audience
EDMONTON – Australian David Smith came to Canada to buy cattle. He’s already got his eye on two bulls at the Charolais show at Farmfair. Before he leaves, he will have a serious conversation about taking semen home from the Canadian bulls. “There’s plenty of cattle here that would fit in at home,” said Smith. […] Read more
Sask. bull calf selected Charolais Sir-Vivor
EDMONTON – Ron and Donna Elder’s bull calf outsmarted, outplayed and outlasted 68 other heifers and bulls to win the Charolais Sir-Vivor futurity and bring its owner $30,000. “We’re absolutely thrilled,” said Donna, of Coronach, Sask. “This pays for our trip out here.” The bull was originally selected to be sold in the World Charolais […] Read more
Low cow prices baffle producers
OKOTOKS, Alta. – When Alberta rancher Wendy Adams sells a cull cow for 35 cents a pound, somebody is making a profit and she knows it is not her. In pre-BSE days she could sell a good D1,2 cow for at least 55 cents a pound. But as long as there is a surplus of […] Read more
Prion origin still missing piece of puzzle
Stanley Prusiner knows the middle and the end of the prion disease story, but the beginning continues to elude him. The scientist, who is credited with identifying aberrant proteins he named prions, admits he has no idea what triggers these pathogens or how they multiply to cause degenerative diseases in mammals such as BSE, Creutzfeldt-Jakob […] Read more
