Reading Time: 2 minutes The last sector of Canada’s chicken and turkey industry not currently under a supply management system has submitted an application to join the flock. “It’s the last frontier,” said Andy DeWeerd, chairman of the Pullet Growers of Canada. Nearly two years in the making, the application was submitted to the Farm Products Council of Canada […] Read more
Pullet producers hope to join supply management
Which comes first? The egg, of course
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this chicken-and-egg situation, it’s clear which comes first, but those who produce the first step in the broiler industry don’t get that much attention. “We don’t direct market to a consumer, so I think that’s why people don’t really think of us,” says Nancy Robinson, assistant manager of the Alberta Hatching Egg Producers (AHEP), a […] Read more
Animal welfare — act now, or have someone else do it
PARTNERS The National Farm Animal Care Council is comprised of members from both animal welfare groups and agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes Livestock producers need to both walk the walk and talk the talk on standards for animal welfare, or have someone else set the agenda for them. That was the message from two speakers at the recent International Livestock Congress here. Dr. Mike Siemens, leader of animal welfare and husbandry for Cargill, emphasized that the industry […] Read moreNoxious weeds in crosshairs of new website
HELP WANTED New program needs organizations to start mapping their data, and volunteers to confirm species identification
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a new weapon in the war against noxious weeds. The Alberta Invasive Plants Council has launched a website in a bid to battle plant invaders. The website features EDDMapS, the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, developed by the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health to document the spread of […] Read moreHeady lamb market falls to earth
Reading Time: 2 minutes What goes up must come down, and while the lamb market is no exception, no one in the industry was prepared for just how fast or hard it would crash. “In the last three weeks it went from $1.75/lb to $1.35,” Howard Paulsen, Zone 1 director for Alberta Lamb Producers said earlier this month. “I didn’t […] Read more
Researcher says new model of health care needed
NEW APPROACH Nutrition is key to a “wellness-based health system” and that includes limiting people’s consumption of red and processed meat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Just over half of adult Canadians are obese or overweight, and experts say deaths caused by obesity-related health issues will soon exceed those caused by tobacco use. The situation is even worse in the U.S. where nearly three-quarters of Americans are obese, but despite the grim prognosis, obesity intervention still isn’t part of routine patient […] Read moreAlberta rancher raising epicurean garlic
OUTSMARTING THE MULIES In Claresholm country, mule deer and wind are more certain than death and taxes, and that’s why Chalmers chose garlic
Reading Time: 3 minutes Garlic is ascribed many traits, a surprising number of which are supernatural. Even in today’s pop culture, garlic is still tasked with warding off vampires — and a goodnight kiss at the end of a date, if you believe the spearmint gum commercials. It is said to increase vitality and even libido, and many religiously […] Read moreAlberta Beef Producers opposes any move towards directional checkoff
CHECKOFF CHARGE No one is publicly championing the idea of a directional checkoff but ABP says it wants to be “proactive” and warn producers it’s a bad idea
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Beef Producers will vigorously oppose any attempt to impose a directional checkoff, says chair Doug Sawyer. A directional (or directed) checkoff would mean producers would no longer have the option of requesting a refund but could direct their money to any livestock organization of their choice. Although no one is publicly championing the idea, […] Read moreSmall changes can make a big difference
RAISING THE BAR Ensuring the bottom wire is 45 cm off the ground means animals can safely pass under the barbed wire
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like raised welts from a brutal whipping, barbed wire fences crisscross Alberta’s native grasslands as far as the eye can see. Many landowners are aware of the injury and mortality the unforgiving fences can cause wildlife, but the prospect of switching all bottom barbed wire for the safer smooth variety is a daunting task. “For […] Read moreLittle fence on the prairie is bad for pronghorn
PRONGHORN CAN’T JUMP Unlike mule and white-tailed deer, pronghorn cannot jump over a barbed wire fence, they must crawl under it
Reading Time: 3 minutes A true relic of an ancient world, the pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) evolved its astounding speed to escape predators like the sabre-toothed tiger. Capable of running 100 km/h, it remains the fastest land animal in North America, and on the world stage, places second only to the cheetah. However, in an ironic twist of modern […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
