Reading Time: 3 minutes Ranchers often rely on each other spring brandings are a community affair, and in the fall friends help one another haul their calf crop to auction. But this year, that neighbourly tradition turned into an expensive one for Pincher Creek rancher Bill Homans. A friend and neighbour couldn t haul all his cattle in one […] Read more
Rancher Fined For Helping Neighbour Haul Cattle
Second Annual Feedlot Challenge Awards Buckles For Good Handling
Reading Time: 2 minutes It s not about to rival the National Finals Rodeo, but the recent second annual Pfizer Feedlot Challenge attracted eight teams including one all the way from Ontario. The competition was divided into three events pen checking, chute processing and a 20-question written test with teams judged on their ability to move cattle with as […] Read more
Century-Old Book On The Meatpacking Industry Still Holds Lessons For Today
Reading Time: 3 minutes Finding a new passion for something is a lot like falling in love in the beginning, you cannot get enough of it, and you wonder what you ever thought about before. And so it was for me when I began reporting on the cattle business I was insatiable. I discovered the discount shelves at bookstores […] Read more
Canada Takes A Wait-And-See Approach To New Cage Regulations
Reading Time: 3 minutes Few animal welfare issues have permeated the public consciousness as the plight of the egg-laying hen, but Canada is taking a wait-and-see approach to new cage regulations. Europe has already adopted new cage regulations and the U.S. is poised to move forward with even larger cages for hens. However, Canada continues to use cages nearly […] Read more
Beefed Biosecurity Standards Nearly In Place
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada s livestock industry is closing in on its goal of having a complete biosecurity regiment. While only the poultry sector has finished setting its biosecurity standards, the beef sector expects to complete the process by December, with dairy, mink and bees following in 2012 and sheep and goats slated for finalization in winter of […] Read more
Fighting Back Against Noxious Invaders
Reading Time: 2 minutes They creep in unannounced, stealthily putting down roots in Alberta s most precious grasslands, and their numbers are increasing. Leafy spurge and spotted knapweed are perhaps two of the five major rangeland weeds in the Great Plains of North America and they have caused millions of dollars of lost revenue, said Don Battiste, program director […] Read more
High Hopes For New Premier
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta s new premier doesn t have a farm background, but farm leaders say they re optimistic that Alison Redford will be good for agriculture. There s always hope, isn t there? said Phil Rowland, president of the Western Stock Growers Association. I m not unhappy that Alison became premier. Maybe she ll take the […] Read more
Beetle Battle Continues
Reading Time: 3 minutes The battle against the Mountain Pine Beetle rages on, but government officials are hoping Mother Nature will reach into her bag of tricks and lend a hand this winter. A lot of people think that the only way you re going to kill the beetle is with -40 C for 24 hours, but there s […] Read more
Finding The Fat In The Feed
Reading Time: 2 minutes A year-old program to help Alberta livestock producers get a better handle on what s in their feed grain still has money to spend. The Alberta Feeding Initiative Program was allocated $750,000 to purchase high-tech equipment that can measure nutrient content in feed grains. Since its launch in 2010, a dozen grants, worth up to […] Read more
Feed Hay Plentiful, Barley Going Up As Market Tightens
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta wouldn t be Alberta without its winters and the surprises they may bring. Some years are exceptionally cold, a fact of life for more northern areas of the province. In the southern regions, producers sometimes count on chinooks to delay the need for winter feeding and to reduce snow cover throughout the season. However, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
