Livestock
Reading Time: 2 minutes The sheep industry is about 30 years behind the cattle industry when it comes to fertility testing. That was the message Three Hills veterinarian Kathy Parker delivered to the recent Ultimate Sheep Seminar, presented by the Battle River Research Group. Interest in semen testing rams has only started to pick up because of the influx […] Read more
Ram Fertility Has Direct Impact On Flock
Weaning Right Is Easier On Calves And Owners
Reading Time: 3 minutes Taking the stress out of weaning has its benefits for the calf and the producer. For successful winter weaning, here are a few tips that you can choose from for your particular operation. Perhaps the most important practice in weaning is to take into account familiarity. The calves will settle quicker in a system in […] Read more
Alberta Beef Producers Elect Delegates
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers has announced its slate of delegates for 2010-11, following elections during zone meetings in October and November. Zones 2, 4, and 8 had elections, with the remaining six electing delegates by acclamation. The full slate follows. Names with an asterisk represent delegates who were either elected or acclaimed during this election. Zone […] Read more
Identifying Opportunities For Energy Savings In Hog Barns
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s easy to waste money if you don’t understand how hog barn heating and ventilation systems work, or most common causes of energy wastage. “To be able to run the entire system at optimum performance without wasting energy, the operator has to know each component very well, in addition to understanding the related factors that […] Read more
Ont. stewardship funds booked up for 2011-12
A federal/provincial incentive program for Ontario farmers looking to adopt best management practices (BMPs) on their land has already committed all its available funding for 2011-12. Having just made the application forms available Monday, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), acting as the delivery agent for the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP), said […] Read more
Maple Leaf to shut N.S. prepared meats plant
Maple Leaf Foods plans to close its Larsen Packer further-processing and deli meat operations in Nova Scotia by the end of April 2011. The Toronto food processing firm on Wednesday said it would start the gradual wind-down of operations at the pork facility at Berwick, about 20 km west of Kentville, in February. The 200,000-square-foot […] Read more
Klassen: Calf prices holding at higher levels
Calf prices in Western Canada were steady to $2 higher last week with 570-weight steers moving at $130 per hundredweight; tan steers weighing 540 pounds sold for $134/cwt. We continue to see strong demand from both feedlot operators and backgrounding operations. New technology implants and treating methods have caused the large feedlot operator to feel […] Read more
“All peril” hog mortality insurance on drawing board
The Canadian Swine Health Board aims to have a new “all peril” mortality insurance product ready for pork producers by the new year. The board has confirmed it’s working with the pork industry groups in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to develop a national mortality insurance product. The package is being modeled after a program developed […] Read more
All peril hog mortality insurance on drawing board
The Canadian Swine Health Board aims to have a new "all peril" mortality insurance product ready for pork producers by the new year. The board has confirmed it’s working with the pork industry groups in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to develop a national mortality insurance product. The package is being modeled after a program developed […] Read more
Feds fund poultry sector brain trust
The federal government and Canada’s poultry industry stakeholders will put up over $2.5 million in total to connect government, industry and academic researchers for work on the sector’s priorities. Abbotsford, B.C. MP Ed Fast on Wednesday announced the federal contribution of $1.8 million toward a joint research cluster to “address sector priorities and challenges concerning […] Read more
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