Reading Time: 2 minutes The wheat market currently belongs to buyers, but market unpredictability is never far away, says a Winnipeg-based grain market analyst. Greg Kostal, president of Kostal Ag Consulting in Winnipeg, provided a “lay of the land” for grain and oilseed markets at a recent Farm Credit Canada event here. Kostal said the drought in the United […] Read more
Adversity, catastrophic events helped 2012 prices go high: Analyst
University of Calgary study examines relationship between elk, cattle and disease
MODEL IDEA Computer modelling will help account for environmental factors in diseases passing between cattle and wildlife
Reading Time: 2 minutes Both bovines, and often both sharing the same pasture. The extent to which elk and cattle also share disease is the subject of a study spearheaded by the University of Calgary. “We always tend to study diseases in cows or diseases in wildlife but not often diseases that are shared amongst those species,” said Dr. […] Read moreFederal government appoints independent panel to investigate beef recall
Reading Time: 2 minutes An independent panel will investigate the circumstances surrounding last fall’s E. coli outbreak at the XL Foods Brooks plant. The federal government announced the panel on February 8. Dr. Ronald Lewis, the former chief veterinary officer and director of the Animal Health Branch for B.C. will be the chair. Dr. Ronald Usborne, the current chief […] Read more
Wild Rose Agricultural Producers passes child labour resolution at meeting
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the largest agricultural groups in Alberta is calling for legislated child labour standards for all paid farm workers. Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP) delegates unanimously gave their approval to the resolution at their recent annual meeting in Banff. WRAP president Lynn Jacobson said the resolution was initially brought forward by one of their […] Read more
U.S.-based animal welfare certification group gaining Canadian interest
Reading Time: 2 minutes An organization that provides certification and labelling for livestock producers with regards to animal welfare standards is gaining more popularity in Canada. Animal Welfare Approved (AWA), an organization based in the U.S., has seen a recent jump in applications from Canadian farms. “It’s becoming more of an issue as Canada explores its own relationship with […] Read more
Lacombe plant can now export beef to China
Reading Time: 2 minutes A custom slaughter and processing plant based in Lacombe is one of four Canadian beef facilities recently added to the roster of outfits able to export beef to China. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast have announced that Canadian Premium Meats Inc., along with Les Viandes Laroche Inc., Ryding Regency […] Read more
Satellite Internet program to benefit central Albertans
GET CONNECTED Government partners with Xplornet to waive distance installation fees to encourage more people to go online
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the announcement of another potential 4,600 homes that will be able to connect to high-speed Internet, the Alberta government is getting closer to its target of having 98 per cent of homes in the province able to access broadband services. The qualified residences, located in rural central Alberta, are eligible to have the standard […] Read moreAlberta chicken producers threatening to go it alone
QUOTA SHARING If provincial production was allocated on population, Alberta chicken farmers would be producing another 16 million kilograms each year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Chicken Producers is threatening to withdraw from the national supply agency next year if the province doesn’t get a larger slice of national production. Alberta has more than 11 per cent of the population but just 9.15 per cent of chicken production — the gap is equivalent to 16 million kilograms of chicken a […] Read moreAll cattle are not all black yet
Like the overall herd numbers, the number of many purebreds has fallen, but continental and other niche breeds still serve particular markets
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not been an easy decade for many purebred cattle breeds. “The drought and then BSE … it took a real toll on cattle people in general,” said Reed Rigney, president of the Alberta Blonde d’Aquitaine Association. The number of Blondes has stabilized recently, but Rigney estimated there’s around 400 breeding females. “They’re not what […] Read more
Beef industry players encouraged by Beef Food Industry Summit discussions
Reading Time: 3 minutes Representatives at a meeting on the state of the Canadian beef industry last November produced agreement that the status quo is not acceptable, but that more work is needed to bring the industry together. “The hard part is coming up next,” said Gordon Cove, CEO and president of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency. ALMA […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
