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Dairy testing for bird flu expanded in Canada

Non-clinical dairy cattle eligible for funded testing

On June 17, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated their guidance for private veterinarians on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The update noted the expanded eligibility for testing, and that the CFIA would cover lab test fees at any Canadian Animal Health Surveillance Network (CAHSN) lab that is approved to test samples in domestic animals. The agency will not, however, pay veterinarian fees for sample collection or shipment to the lab.



Jennifer Davies with the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Remote post-mortems boost diagnoses in cattle

'Telepathology' brings vets and specialists together in real time

Reading Time: 4 minutes Televised necropsies may be the next big thing in determining causes of death in cattle and other livestock, according to results of a proof-of-concept research project. Using video conferencing technology, researchers with the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine found that connecting specialized pathologists with in-the-field large animal veterinarians in real time delivered a […] Read more

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Don’t fear FITFIR, says Alberta water expert

Rights holders likely to negotiate in times of water shortage

Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta river and reservoir levels remain lower than normal and water availability continues to worry irrigators. Will there be enough water to go around? What happens if there isn’t? Answers can be found in the province’s current Water Act, passed in 1999, which contains the same “first in time, first in right” (FITFIR) system that […] Read more


DIW will be the first-of-its-kind-in-Canada milk centration facility.

Celebration day for Dairy Innovation West

Handful of stakeholders get glimpse of 'unique' Alberta milk plant

Reading Time: 3 minutes Western Milk Pool chair Henry Holtmann said a recent “hard hat” tour of the under-construction Dairy Innovation West facility made for a “day of celebration.” Those behind the unique milk processing plant in central Alberta’s Lacombe County have much to celebrate. Over the past five years, the five provincial organizations under the Western Milk Pool […] Read more

The farm operation that uses a model of diversity and maintains and integrates natural landscapes may be more resilient in times of weather and financial stress.

Alberta irrigation gets $5.5M boost

Replacing open canals is top priority in irrigation plans for funding

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s irrigation districts are getting a $5.5 million boost to an annual cost-share program for modernizing and rehabilitating infrastructure. The boost brings the districts’ total 2024 share to $19 million through the irrigation rehabilitation program (IRP), an agreement between the Alberta government, which contributes 75 per cent, and irrigation districts who fund the other 25 […] Read more