Livestock Management
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
Livestock Management
Low cow prices baffle producers
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
Company builds better pork
A swine feed ration rich in flax, grains and other nutrients has led to the creation of enhanced pork products grown in Manitoba. Prairie Orchard Farms of Winnipeg, through its parent company, Max-Pro Feeds, began experimenting with special diets seven years ago to produce pork with enhanced levels of omega 3. It went on to […] Read more
Producers debate mandatory BSE testing
OKOTOKS, Alta. – The case for testing export cattle for BSE is going before the Alberta Beef Producers at its annual meeting in December. A resolution at an Okotoks zone meeting directed the organization to lobby the federal government for testing to broaden beef export opportunities to countries that want beef from cattle younger than […] Read more
Rookie declared Jersey champ
RED DEER – When a trio of dairy producers entered their newly purchased Jersey in Western Canada’s largest dairy show, they were sure they had a winner. Named Marshfield Counciller Angelic, the four-year-old cow had never been shown before, so her owners were pleased to win the grand champion Jersey banner at the Westerner championship […] Read more
Antibiotic replacement explored
What would you do with $1.75 million? Happy researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon don’t have to wonder. They’ll be using $1.75 million in new funding over the next three years to find a better way to treat bacterial infections in animals. The project will begin with poultry and swine, but […] Read more
Selenium boosts pork claim
A small brand of Canadian pork continues to blaze a trail for health food in the United States. Not only is the pork produced by Winnipeg’s Prairie Orchard Farms allowed to claim that it is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, but it can also now claim to contain a high level of […] Read more
Friendly farming
Environmental farm plans can present opportunities for farmers and ranchers as they search for better ways to tend to their surroundings. A tour in the Calgary area promoting beneficial management practices demonstrated how three families have improved the environment. Scott Farms, Crossfield Earl Scott had to be coaxed to attend an environmental farm plan workshop […] Read more
Testing planned for banned antibiotic
American and Canadian government food safety authorities say they will work together to prevent a banned hog medication from entering the Canadian food system. “We’re comfortable with a legitimate process for testing product to ensure there are no residues of carbadox in U.S. pork that would be entering Canada,” said Neil Dierks, chief executive officer […] Read more
Beef quality program simplified
The verified beef program has been updated and simplified to encourage more interest from producers. The on-farm food safety program started in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta two years ago and has spread across the country as more trainers and auditors are contracted, said national program manager Terry Grajczyk. The workshops have trained more than 3,600 […] Read more
