The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) confirmed today that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was found on a farm in the southwest of the province. 1st confirmed case of PED in Ontario announced. OP working with OMAF on next steps. — Ontario Pork (@OntarioPork) January 23, 2014 First detected in the United States... Read More
Category: Livestock
Saskatoon, SK - Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart and Member of Parliament Kelly Block announced a nearly $4.2M investment into 27 livestock and forage related research projects today, on behalf of the federal government. “Our government is committed to supporting agriculture research,” Stewart said. “The funding provided through the Agriculture Development Fund results in innovations... Read More
Explosive. It's the only way to describe beef cash prices out of the U.S. this January. Sure, yes, there was optimism about what 2014 would bring, but no one could have expected this giant jump in prices as the market resumed after the holidays. Need production info? Click here to see all 30 episodes of... Read More
A shift in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's focus means that ranchers transporting cattle to auction, pasture or the abattoir may face increased scrutiny on the condition of the cattle they're moving. All existing regulations have remained the same, however, ranchers should expect to see CFIA inspectors actively checking on and ticketing animals under transport.... Read More
By April 1st of 2014, four diseases that affect cattle will be moved from "reportable" to "immediately notifiable" under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The change is significant in a few ways, most notably that once a disease is no longer reportable, any financial assistance in managing the disease evaporates. The four diseases are: Chronic... Read More
I spent much of my Christmas holiday in rural Alberta, where gossip of snow-induced roof collapse was becoming incredibly common. In most instances, more than just a roof was impacted, with reports of damaged machinery and livestock losses. So, for the first time in my life, I helped shovel snow from an altitude. (And for... Read More
It’s calving season. You waited – we've delivered! Our second podcast is up and available for download! This podcast features an interview with Travis Peardon, a livestock specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, about how last year's harsh winter is still affecting ranch management. The rest of the podcast is a blur of activity,... Read More
While the fundamentals seem to hint at conditions being right for the Canadian cow herd to begin an expansion phase, it’s not happening. Cull rates of about 10% would signal ranchers building their herds; 2013 numbers will end up somewhere about 15%, a number more synonymous with liquidation than expansion. According to Brian Perillat, senior... Read More
ATB is celebrating its 75th anniversary and as a part of that they are sharing some very special memorable belt buckles. The commemorative limited edition buckles were handcrafted by Alberta native Troy Fisher. Each farmer or rancher was nominated by their regional relationship manager based on their contribution to the local community and agriculture; size,... Read More
Research out of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) suggests that radio frequency identification (RFID) tags inserted into an animal's ear cold not only require more strength to install, they are also much weaker than those installed at room temperature. These findings will no doubt be a warm message on a cold day to producers... Read More