Reading Time: 3 minutes When examining bulls, especially young ones, for breeding soundness, one of the more common issues we see involving the bull’s penis are warts. This article will go into the cause, treatment, clinical signs, and outcomes expected when dealing with penile warts. All purebred breeders will get some eventually and commercial cattlemen may have some crop […] Read more
To ensure breeding soundness, make sure warts are treated
Beef 911: In the vast majority of cases, penile warts can be successfully and simply dealt with
Russian agricultural firms raided over suspected tax evasion
Moscow | Reuters — Meat producer Cherkizovo and farming conglomerate Rusagro were among agricultural firms across Russia targeted in a sweeping investigation into suspected tax evasion on Wednesday. The Tax Service said so far five potential breaches had been uncovered in inspections carried out with the Federal Security Service (FSB) at agricultural holdings across 13 […] Read more
Bankrupt oil firms must clean up inactive wells, Supreme Court rules
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that bankrupt oil companies must clean up inactive wells, overturning lower court decisions that prioritized paying creditors and potentially raising the risks of investment in the industry. The 5-2 ruling means that the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), which had appealed the earlier court decisions, can […] Read more
Livestock tax deferral map expands again for 2018
Some northern and southwestern Ontario producers who had to sell breeding livestock due to drought in the 2018 tax year can now defer chunks of the income from those sales when filing their income taxes. The federal government on Wednesday rolled out its final list and map of designated regions for 2018 under its livestock […] Read more
EU adopts post-Brexit import quotas for farm produce
Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Monday adopted quotas for farming produce it will accept from third countries after Britain leaves the bloc and acknowledged this could happen before it has concluded talks with them on the subject. The EU has in place a series of tariff rate quotas, allowing agricultural producers such […] Read more
The updated bison code of care has a wealth of information
Beef 911: Although written specifically for bison, the code also has good tips for beef producers
Reading Time: 4 minutes In 2017, new codes of practice came out for bison and veal cattle, following revisions to the codes for dairy cattle in 2009 and the beef, sheep, and equine sectors in 2013. Other codes have also been released or are in progress. The format has multiple chapters (with numerous appendices at the end) and each […] Read more
Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic
London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more
Awards for leaders in animal welfare
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farm Animal Care is seeking nominations for a trio of awards that recognize individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions to livestock welfare. Three awards are given out annually. The Award of Distinction for Communication honours those who take an active role in effectively telling the story about livestock issues, and informing the […] Read more
USDA recalls workers to help with farm loans, taxes; data uncertain
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 980 Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices for three days starting on Thursday to help process farm loans and tax documents during the partial federal government shutdown. About 2,500 FSA employees who have been furloughed by the partial shutdown that began on Dec. 22 […] Read more
Farming insects may solve one problem, create others
Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Insects have great potential as an alternative source of protein, but further research is urgently needed before mass production begins in order to avoid environmental disaster, Swedish researchers warned Monday. There is currently an “overwhelming lack of knowledge” on basic questions such as suitable species, their housing and feed […] Read more