Reading Time: 3 minutes Abortions happen in all livestock species, but with sheep, a lambing season can under some circumstances turn into a full-blown “abortion storm.” The reason, said Dr. Chris Clark, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan, is that 80 per cent of sheep abortions are caused by highly infectious agents, and character traits that tend […] Read more
Prevention key to avoiding sheep “abortion storm”
Grain bags OK for canola — if it’s dry
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grain bags have a lot of attractive features, but are they good for storing canola? The answer is both yes and no, says Digvir Jayas, a University of Manitoba professor. “They market these bags as sealed, air tight, but our research shows that they are not as air tight as the companies would have us […] Read more
New, nationwide co-op to pay more for lambs
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new, federally incorporated co-op that pledges to eliminate the $20-$25 western freight discount on lambs and breathe new life into the Canadian sheep industry will be ready to launch this fall. The Canadian Lamb Producers Co-operative (CLPC) grew out of the Saskatchewan Sheep Development board’s 2010 Canadian Lamb Initiative, which tested the feasibility of […] Read more
Organic feed grain prices may have soared too high
backfire? Brokers warn farmers holding out for even higher prices that they may miss the boat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Prices for organic grains prices may be too good and could end up pushing the organic industry over a cliff like they did in 2008-09, some buyers fear. “I’m concerned that these prices are getting too high,” said Roger Rivest, an Tilbury, Ont.-based buyer for Keystone Grain. “We’re getting a lot of resistance from feed […] Read moreMan. flax processor Shape Foods in better shape
Manitoba flax processor Shape Foods has paid off the $114,000 it owed the City of Brandon for its 2010 tax bill, staving off a possible forced sale of the facility next month. "Every new company has some growing pains, and I wouldn’t have accepted this job if I didn’t see an exciting future for the […] Read more
Nationwide co-op pledges to pay more for lambs
Producer co-op to offer five-cent premium over Ont. price
Tell your story but keep it real: Grandin
Updated, June 1, 2012 — Livestock producers should harness the power of YouTube to counter the influence of animal rights activists in the consumer market, but they’ll want to ditch the spin and keep it real. That was the advice of renowned U.S. animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, delivered to a packed house at a […] Read more
Manitoba rancher takes the helm at CCA
Issues Retaining processing capacity and fostering foreign trade is critical for Canada’s cattle industry
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba cow-calf rancher Martin Unrau is the new president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The former vice-president replaces Alberta’s Travis Toews. Along with wife Roxie, son Garett, and a part-time employee, Unrau runs 500 head on Bar 88 Ranch and crops 1,000 acres south of MacGregor, Man. A recent visit found Unrau, former head of […] Read morePork Council files claim over sow-cull funds
The Canadian Pork Council is seeking almost $1 million after a hog operation that received federal Cull Breeding Swine Program (CBSP) funding was allegedly put back into operation by new owners. A statement of claim, filed Feb. 7 in a Brandon, Man. court, names Westoba Credit Union, Crocus Country Pork and BDO Dunwoody Ltd. All […] Read more
Analyst bullish on canola and soybeans
Reading Time: 2 minutes When filling up their seeders this spring, Canadian farmers should have canola and soybeans coming down the spout, but not sunflowers and flax. That was the advice from Thomas Mielke, executive director of Oil World, a global edible oil market research firm based in Germany. “Unlike 2008, the price decline has been moderate, and there […] Read more
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