Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Lamb Producers is looking for four producers to serve on its board of directors to represent Zones 1, 2, 3, and 6. Interested producers should visit ablamb.ca or contact the office (403-948-8533) for a nomination form. Forms need to be completed and sent back to the office seven days prior to the elections at […] Read more
Alberta Lamb Producers seeking directors
Packed agenda at sheep symposium
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Value of Health is the theme of the Alberta Sheep Symposium on Oct. 15-17 in Red Deer. Among the topics at the biannual conference are managing healthy flocks, improving long-term profitability; benefits from grazing; how sheep behaviour impacts lambing; what impact internal parasites have on health and productivity; how drug resistance will change your […] Read more
California adopts tough rules for antibiotic use in livestock
Los Angeles | Reuters — California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a bill that sets the strictest government standards in the U.S. for the use of antibiotics in livestock production. The move from California, known for its leadership on public health and environmental issues, comes amid growing concern that the overuse of such drugs […] Read more
Range of byproduct feeds available for sheep
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dry conditions, short supplies of forage, expensive supplements, and tight profit margins have many sheep producers looking for alternate feeds. “Canola or grain screenings, potato waste, grass seed cleanings, or beet pulp are just a few of the byproducts that can be used to feed sheep,” said Susan Hosford, a provincial sheep industry specialist. “Byproduct […] Read more
Could a cement mixer have a place on your operation?
Composting deadstock is no different than garden waste — except you need a really big composter
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re in a wildlife corridor, the last thing you want to do is attract predators to your place. But that’s not easy if, like Marty Winchell, you’re raising sheep, pigs, laying hens and bees, as well as custom grazing cattle. Which is why there’s an old cement mixer sitting in his yard. His mixer […] Read more
Moving along: Institute developing super-fast fencing tool
The device has been designed to allow one person to string half a mile of four-strand, 3D fence in just two hours
Reading Time: 2 minutes Any producer who has put up a temporary fence knows what a tedious process it can be. However, a new device may soon save producers some headaches by halving both the time and labour spent on installing temporary fencing. “Based on some surveying we did of farmers, it takes four to eight hours to put […] Read more
COOL saga winding down, but not over yet
CNS Canada –– The seven-year saga of U.S. country of origin labelling (COOL) rules and their adverse impact on Canada’s livestock sector may be nearing its final chapter, but the conclusion still needs to be written. After numerous complaints and appeals with the World Trade Organization, the COOL regulations in place since 2008 have been […] Read more
Livestock seen threatened as biting insects press north
Bluetongue’s most recent appearance in the Canadian cattle herd may be a taste of what’s to come as insect species expand northward, a new study warns. Anna Zuliani, previously a graduate student in veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary (UCVM), recently published a paper on how geographical distribution of biting midges relates to the […] Read more
Guelph animal science department rebrands
The Ontario Agricultural College’s department of animal and poultry science has hatched a new name meant to better take in the scope of its work. The new name, the Department of Animal Biosciences, “helps describe the department’s evolution from a livestock husbandry department in the 1870s to the highly dynamic and integrated department it is […] Read more
Tax deferral an option — but is it your best one?
Experts say you should run the numbers and get expert advice before deciding how much tax to defer
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a classic ‘good-news, bad-news’ story. The bad news is: If you’re a producer reading this in Alberta, chances are you live in one of the vast majority of Alberta municipalities devastated by drought or other inclement weather. The good news is you may be eligible for the Federal Livestock Tax Deferral, which allows producers […] Read more