Reading Time: 4 minutes What does the cattle industry have to learn from Walmart? When it comes to low cost, highly effective tracking and monitoring, the answer may be “more than you might think,” said David Moss, chief operating officer of Livestock Identification Services Ltd. Moss is an outspoken supporter of replacing the current radio frequency identification (RFID) cattle […] Read more
New Ear Tag Technology Makes Current Version Look Obsolete
High-Tech Changes Come For Livestock Inspection – for Oct. 25, 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes AF CONTRIBUTOR |CALGARY Livestock inspection in this province is going high tech, and that’s a good thing for Alberta beef producers. The move from handwritten brand log books to a system relying on leading-edge databases and high-tech livestock-movement tools is being pushed by Livestock Identification Services Ltd. (LIS), the non-profit organization in charge of livestock […] Read more
Inspection Organization Advances Beyond Traditional Role – for Oct. 11, 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes AF CONTRIBUTOR |CALGARY Many cattle producers view livestock inspection as a necessary evil – a time-consuming and occasionally frustrating process required to show you’re in compliance with regulations. But Alberta’s livestock inspection agency says it wants to use inspection to put money in the pockets of producers, feedlot operators, and processors. “We’re moving from compliance […] Read more
Water Footprint Will Be The Next Marketing Demand – for Oct. 11, 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes af contributor |calgary We’ve all heard about carbon footprints, but what about water footprints? Water production in agriculture is becoming a hot topic in the environmental movement and experts say the concept is starting to hit the radar screens of consumers. A water footprint is defined as the amount of water it takes to create […] Read more
A Year To Be Grateful For Crop Insurance – for Aug. 30, 2010
Reading Time: 2 minutes Between flooding in the south, drought in the north, and hail around the province, many Alberta producers are happy to be carrying crop insurance coverage again this year. That said, Alberta Financial Services Corp (AFSC), the crown corporation that administers federally and provincially subsidized crop insurance programs, doesn’t yet have firm numbers on yield losses. […] Read more
Emergency Plans Vital For The Livestock Industry – for Aug. 16, 2010
Reading Time: 3 minutes af contributor |calgary Last month’s foot and mouth disease (FMD) scare at the Olymel hog plant in Red Deer was a reminder of how close the livestock industry is to a crisis at any time. While the two-day event turned out to be just a scare, industry officials are using it to remind all parts […] Read more
BSE Fallout Continues For Sheep And Goat Exports – for Aug. 16, 2010
Reading Time: 3 minutes af contributor |calgary Cattle may have had most of the attention when BSE decimated export markets seven years ago, but other ruminants suffered the same fate. Efforts to regain market access to the U. S. have met with little success to date, said panelists at the Cross Border Livestock Health Conference, held last month in […] Read more
Making Your Lender A Champion Of Your Business
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Lenders will tell you that no one has the right to get a loan, no one has the right to farm” DENIS COTE SENIOR LENDING MANAGER, AFSC Unless you’re a rare farmer who operates without debt, there’s someone you really need on your side – your banker. That means building a relationship with him or […] Read more
Tweeting And Texting Are Not Just For The Birds
Reading Time: 3 minutes “I communicate regularly with some U.S. senators via Twitter. I’m some farm boy from small-town Alberta – I wouldn’t have access to these people without social media.” SHAUN HANEY Many farmers may still think tweeting is for birds, but farm boy and self-confessed tech geek Shaun Haney thinks you and all your farming neighbours will […] Read more
Alberta farmer new CWB chair
Reading Time: 3 minutes “It would be nice if the Alberta government had a different view on the organization and stopped pushing for dual marketing.” ALLEN OBERG CHAIRMAN, CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD Allen Oberg, a long-time Alberta grain and cattle farmer and experienced director on both the provincial and national agriculture scenes, has been elected chairman of the Canadian Wheat […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
