The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have both approved a repeal of the government’s six-year old mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) laws on beef and pork. Tucked into an omnibus appropriations bill put before Congress Friday, the repeal shuts the door on a major irritant in North American trade relations and is expected to curb […] Read more
U.S. Congress repeals COOL on beef, pork
Composting fastest and cheapest way to deal with deadstock
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the fastest and cheapest ways to dispose of deadstock is to compost them — and you can even do it in winter. “As soon as your compost heats up to 40 C, it doesn’t smell like a carcass anymore… it’s not,” said Kim Stanford, a beef research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. […] Read more
Canada not yet pulling trade trigger on COOL
Canada remains “cautiously optimistic” that the U.S. government will repeal its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law before the Canadian and Mexican governments impose retaliatory tariffs. Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, speaking Wednesday from Nairobi on a conference call with reporters, said she was “not going to go into hypotheticals” about Canada’s next move if an omnibus […] Read more
Sheep producers wanted as demand for lamb outstrips supply
Canada already imports 60 per cent of its lamb but consumers will pay more for local lamb
Reading Time: 3 minutes The want ad isn’t officially posted, but the notice is given: There’s a “great opportunity” for Albertans interested in becoming sheep producers. “Right now, we only produce 40 per cent of the demand for lamb in Canada — there’s a huge market there,” said Lorna Gibson, a sheep producer from Tees. “There’s a real demand […] Read more
Three tips for feeding heated canola seed
Mouldy seed should be tested, it can gum up a mill, and don’t put too much in a ration
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to feeding heated canola seed to ruminant animals such as cattle or sheep, there are a few things to keep in mind. “Canola seed that is heated might be discoloured and have a smell to it, but can still be used,” said provincial beef forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “If there is a […] Read more
U.K. review calls for urgent cuts to antibiotic use in livestock
London | Reuters –– Massive use of antibiotics in farming poses a critical threat to global public health and should be reduced dramatically to an internationally-agreed target, according to a British government-commissioned review. Agreeing and implementing a global target for agricultural antibiotic use won’t be easy, the review, led by former Goldman Sachs chief economist […] Read more
Agriculture is responding to climate change
Warmer oceans and retreating glaciers are being felt at the farm level, but farmers are always moving forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes The following presentation won senior division honours in the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto last month. A rise of 0.8 over 130 years… Why are we paying attention to such a number? Why does it even matter? Because this rise of 0.8 C is affecting the way the world is fed! […] Read more
CME to revamp cattle delivery rules before COOL vote
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group plans changes to its rules for live cattle futures, requiring that all cattle delivered against the contract must be born and raised solely in the U.S., the exchange said in a statement Friday. The new requirement, effective Dec. 18, covers all currently listed trading months through April 2017. CME […] Read more
Big Blow-Up: Workplace legislation has farmers up in arms
Skimpy consultation and lack of answers upsets Alberta farmers, even those who say the status quo wasn’t acceptable
Reading Time: 6 minutes The NDP government said it just wanted to make farms more safe, but instead ignited a firestorm. But faced with massive outrage and demonstrations from farmers and ranchers to Bill 6, the government backtracked and apologized for what it called “miscommunication.” “Myself, MLAs, ministers, and our premier have all heard from farmers and ranchers who […] Read more
VIDEO: Busy Ponoka couple named Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Jammed packed doesn’t begin to describe it. On Nov. 20 in Edmonton, Patrick and Cherylynn Bos were named co-winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers award. Then it was back to Rock Ridge Dairy near Ponoka to fire up the most technologically advanced goat milking parlour on the continent and train 700 skeptical does to use […] Read more