TRUCK SHORTAGE There are not enough trucks to carry all the fat cattle south of the border right now
Reading Time: 3 minutes While better news may have arrived by the time this newspaper reaches the mailbox, the prolonged closure of the XL Foods beef plant at Brooks has had some wondering not when it will reopen, but whether it will reopen at all. “If it doesn’t reopen, that will devastate the Canadian industry. It’s disappointing this thing […] Read moreUNSEEN THREAT Tapeworm eggs pass easily through many species and can lead to medical issues for humans and costly losses for livestock producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Here’s one more reason to hate coyotes. The predators frequently carry tapeworms in their gut that can infect dogs and possibly humans. Tapeworms passed on by canine species can also result in sheep measles, a costly disease for sheep and goat producers. One type of tapeworm found in coyotes, Echinococcus multilocularis, is receiving new attention […] Read moreONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY Rattlesnake bite only as a last resort. Their venom is made to secure prey, not hurt people, and some producers say they’d prefer to have snakes on their land than gophers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Feared by many and misunderstood by most, the rattlesnake has long been persecuted in every nook and cranny of its range from South to North America. In Canada, there are three species. The prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis viridis), one of the most successful of the 32 species in the Americas, finds the most northern point […] Read moreBOTTOM LINE President Rob Meijer says the priority is on generating the greatest return, not market share
Reading Time: 2 minutes So far, so good. That seemed to be the mood as 150 industry players recently gathered to mark Canada Beef Inc.’s first birthday. “We learned a lot on the fly,” said president Rob Meijer. “I think structurally our business plan and vision is sound. It probably holds stronger today than a year ago when we […] Read morePROCESSORS NEEDED Though seed and oil processing is established, the hemp industry needs fibre processing to really flourish
Reading Time: 2 minutes The hemp industry in Alberta has potential, but is held back because of an incomplete value chain, says a recent report prepared on the emerging commodity. The study by Serecon Management Consulting for Alberta Agriculture says there is a sustained and growing interest in hemp production and hemp products in Alberta. In 2010, Alberta trailed […] Read moreCHOKE POINT West Hawk Lake, Manitoba is the sole zone reporting point in the country because of its ideal location
Reading Time: 3 minutes The tree-covered resort area at West Hawk Lake on the edge of the Canadian Shield on the Manitoba-Ontario border doesn’t look much like livestock country, but it’s a key location in the event of an animal disease outbreak in North America. It owes that designation to an industry wake-up call after the European foot-and-mouth outbreak […] Read more
Alberta Farmer Express is a unique, Alberta-focused publication combining the efforts of reporters and editors on the ground in the province with the resources of Glacier FarmMedia’s experienced editorial and sales staff.
