Testing and diagnosis Risk factors include using commercial colostrum replacer, commingled animals in community grazing systems
Improved testing and an increase in live animal trade shows that Johne’s disease is more common than previously suspected, said a University of Calgary veterinary researcher. Steve Hendrick of the university’s veterinary faculty told a recent beef health conference in Calgary that producers who buy cattle with an unknown health history are welcoming infections to […] Read moreTag Archives Ag Finance
Producers must know cow’s health history when buying
Farm Progress considered among top shows in North America
Attendance, industry support strong Glencore has agreed to take over sponsorship of the show from Viterra through 2014
Organizers of Canada’s Farm Progress Show said that last week’s 35th edition saw a stronger international presence and record number of exhibitors. Final numbers weren’t yet available, but show manager Rob O’Connor said more than 640 international visitors from more than 50 countries attended, surpassing the goal of 600. As well, at least 52 foreign […] Read moreUnusual weather may be the norm
Extremes more common | While some areas are hot and dry, the Prairies are in a wet phase
Prairie residents shouldn’t expect an end to extreme weather anytime soon. Dave Sauchyn, a climate researcher at the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, said volatility will continue to be more common as the climate changes. “It’s pretty well understood now that as you heat up the world, you can expect more severe weather. There’s just more […] Read moreSupply management not fodder for EU trade deal
Getting a deal in Canada-European Union free trade talks will not be a question of trading supply management protection for meat export access in Europe, says Canada’s chief negotiator. Steve Verheul, who once was Canada’s top agriculture negotiator at World Trade Organization talks, told the House of Commons trade committee last week that substantial agricultural […] Read more
Soy meal may lose influence on canola: analyst
Canola prices have been bolstered recently by strong global meal demand, but an analyst says that relationship could be headed for divorce. Harold Davis, author of Prairie Crop Charts, thinks it’s time for soybean meal to take a rest and allow soybean oil to resume its usual leadership role as the main driver behind canola […] Read more
Irradiated food gaining consumer acceptance: survey
Technology gains acceptance A recent Consumers’ Association study suggests 67 percent of Canadians want irradiation technology put to use
Canadian consumers are ready to accept food irradiation, a consumer lobbyist told a parliamentary committee recently. Consumers’ Association of Canada president Bruce Cran told the Senate agriculture committee that consumers overwhelmingly see the once-controversial irradiation technology as one answer to their food safety worries. He said Canada spent $86 million to develop the technology several […] Read moreThe Cynthia model of sewage treatment
Sewage plan | The hamlet of Cynthia, Alta., builds a solar greenhouse to treat its sewage with plants and bacteria
CYNTHIA, Alta. — It’s a question facing hundreds of small hamlets and villages across the Prairies. What happens when the sewage lagoon needs replacing? The councillors at Brazeau County in Alberta decided not to build another smelly lagoon at the edge of town. Instead, they built a solar greenhouse that treats the sewage with plants […] Read moreNew trade deal worries supply management
Canada has been invited to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and agricultural exporters could not be happier. However, supply managed sectors are in defensive mode, knowing that Canada will be under pressure to drop high tariffs on dairy, poultry and egg imports as the price of joining the TPP. Exporters were thrilled. “Joining the TPP […] Read more
Viterra deal widens CWB delivery options
REGINA — The CWB has reached grain handling agreements with six more grain handling companies, including the country’s largest, Viterra. The new agreements, announced June 21 in Regina, mean western Canadian grain farmers who sell wheat or barley through CWB pools will now be able to deliver grain to roughly 100 additional delivery points across […] Read more
Farm equipment will get smarter, not bigger
How big can we go? It’s a question many producers ask each year as they attend Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina. When I first started wandering around the show back in the early 1980s, I remember marvelling at the size of the tractors, cultivators and combines. Who could afford this stuff? Surely, the practical […] Read more
