Livestock
Reading Time: 2 minutes The U. S. cattle herd may shrink further from its current 50-year low before it starts to recover from the effects of recession, poor credit markets and in some places searing drought, a top cattleman said March 19. “It could shrink further, I think it can absolutely shrink,” said Jon Means, president of the Texas […] Read more
Texas feeder says U. S. cattle herd may shrink further
China Poultry Industry Faces Downturn
Reading Time: < 1 minute The impact of bird flu and the economic slowdown may have cut China’s poultry numbers by about a third or more in the last month, executives in the poultry feed industry said March 3. Although China has not disclosed any significant outbreaks of bird flu or the extent of the impact on the industry, feed […] Read more
Looking For A Feedlot? Here’s A Checklist
Reading Time: 3 minutes A lot without any cattle of its own is a reflection of non-confidence, so it is fair to expect that up to 20 per cent of the cattle be owned by the feedlot operators themselves. The search for a feedlot in which to feed your cattle can be exhaustive, so I’ve prepared this checklist you […] Read more
Hog Farmers Seek Emergency Aid
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Canadian Pork Council meeting April 2 will propose an emergency government aid program as hog farmers enter the third year of their worst economic crisis in memory. The CPC safety net committee will look for new ways to help beleaguered pork producers because existing programs are inadequate, said Jurgen Preugschas, pork council president. “We’re […] Read more
U. S. Cattle Data Confirms Smaller Supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes The number of U. S. cattle being fattened in feedlots is the smallest in four years as losses on cattle sales have prompted producers to reduce supplies, analysts said March 19. The U. S. Agriculture Department reported there were 11.228 million cattle in U. S. feedlots as of March 1, which was 95 per cent […] Read more
U. S. Needs Mandatory Livestock Traceback
Reading Time: 2 minutes The U. S. government should require livestock producers to enroll in a traceback system, a primary U. S. defence against mad cow disease, because voluntary sign-ups are not working, two key congressmen said on March 11. The chief veterinarian at the Agriculture Department said at a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing “it is time to reassess […] Read more
AFSC, EDC team up to back Alta. exports
Alberta’s provincial ag lending agency and the federal government’s export development agency have formally agreed to work together on moving more Alberta production to export markets. Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) and Export Development Canada (EDC) already have an established working alliance, the province said in a release Friday. But a memorandum of understanding […] Read more
Ex-Maple Leaf worker charged in tampering case
An ex-employee of Maple Leaf Consumer Foods has been arrested and charged after some Schneider’s products were found to be tampered with at a Guelph, Ont. grocery store. Guelph Police began an investigation March 18 after several packages of Schneiders Smart Lunch and Schneiders Lunch Mates at one No Frills Store in the city were […] Read more
June 30 deadline set for bluetongue insurance
Sheep producers have until June 30 to apply for annual coverage under the Canadian Sheep Federation’s national bluetongue insurance program for 2009. The voluntary program provides coverage for mortality, business interruption and consequential losses due to bluetongue, an insect-borne viral disease of sheep and other livestock. The coverage, which was made available for the first […] Read more
Manitoba redrafting land-use policies
Manitoba wants input from the public on changes to its land-use policies, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton announced Friday. The province says it was the first in Canada to adopt provincial land-use policies, in 1980. Manitoba’s policies were last reviewed and rewritten in 1994, to “incorporate the principles of sustainable development,” the province said. In […] Read more
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