Reading Time: 4 minutes The new dean of the University of Calgary’s vet school arrived with a lot of new ideas — and two dogs, an Icelandic horse, a donkey, a pony, four children and one husband. “They are family members,” Renate Weller said of the four-legged emigrés. “We have had the donkey and his two companion ponies for […] Read more
New vet school dean brings a lot of expertise — and an entourage
Dispose of old livestock medications safely
Reading Time: < 1 minute During the week of Oct. 25-29, producers can dispose of obsolete livestock, equine and poultry medications safely and securely at 20 locations in the southern half of Alberta. However, the drop-off at each location is for one day only (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) so producers should check the map at the ‘Unwanted agricultural […] Read more
Schoepp: Report shines a light on the threat of chronic wasting disease
The spread of CWD needs to be halted but there’s no simple answer for addressing the problem
Reading Time: 3 minutes [UPDATED: Oct. 20, 2021] The increase in the cases of chronic wasting disease in Alberta and Saskatchewan has caught the attention of policy advisors in Ottawa. A report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute highlighted an extreme urgency to prevent any further spread of the disease and the organization has called for a close of […] Read more
Britain tells its food industry to prepare for CO2 price shock
U.K. pays fertilizer maker CF Industries to reopen plants
London | Reuters — Britain warned its food producers on Wednesday to prepare for a 400 per cent rise in carbon dioxide prices after extending emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat triggered by soaring costs of wholesale natural gas. Natural gas prices have spiked this year as economies reopened from […] Read more
U.K. meat industry warns of threat to supplies from CO2 crisis
CO2 shortage is caused by closure of fertilizer plants
London | Reuters — Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and […] Read more
Warning issued about coyote parasite
Reading Time: < 1 minute A disease expert is warning rural Albertans to take precautions in order to avoid a parasite commonly carried by coyotes, reports the e-newsletter from Alberta Beef Producers. The tapeworm doesn’t seem to affect coyotes but its feces contain the parasite’s eggs and when rodents ingest some of the droppings, they develop a growth on their […] Read more
U.S. reports world’s first deer with COVID-19
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government said Friday it had confirmed the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of […] Read more
Plans afoot to move hay from East to drought-hit West
CFA, BFO spearheading Hay West-style initiatives
Farm groups are spearheading new plans to get livestock feed from Eastern Canada to drought-damaged regions of the western provinces and northwestern Ontario. Details are still pending, but the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) announced Aug. 12 it has started work on a “Hay West” initiative to get surplus hay “to those struggling in the […] Read more
U.S. training ag staff to track, trap, kill ‘murder hornets’
Invasive species remains threat to bees, honey producers
Blaine, Wash. | Reuters — The first Asian giant hornet nest of the year has been found in Washington state, and plans are being developed to eradicate it, likely next week, the state’s agriculture department said on Thursday. The so-called stinging “murder hornets,” the world’s largest hornets, can grow to five centimetres in length and […] Read more
Feds lock in AgriRecovery funds before election call
Ottawa's pledged share now up to $500 million
Just hours ahead of a federal election call, the federal government has committed $500 million to cover its share of federal/provincial AgriRecovery support plans for drought-hit farmers across Canada’s West. Shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit Sunday to Rideau Hall seeking the dissolution of Parliament for a federal election, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed […] Read more
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