Livestock
The federal government is working on ways it can maintain inspection staffing levels at federally-licensed meat packing plants. Speaking to media Saturday in Ottawa, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau addressed concerns surrounding the ability of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to continue meat inspection work. The Reuters news service on Monday quoted two unnamed sources […] Read more
Meat packing sector needs federal inspectors
Shared staff, recalling recent retirees among options on table
COVID-19 shifts bull buyers online
As auction marts move to curb the disease's spread, technology is connecting buyers and sellers
As bull sale season stretches into the spring, online sales are helping the industry cut COVID-19 risks while facilitating commerce. The Livestock Market Association of Canada (LMAC) last week held an emergency meeting on how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, and decided to follow Health Canada’s lead on limiting crowd size and encouraging social […] Read more
Beef sector mobilizes against supply disruptions
Keeping border open, meeting demand for beef are top priorities
Teams of livestock and government officials are quickly creating plans and policies to keep the sector functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, says the executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “Our primary objective obviously is to insure there is stable beef production and trade that can continue under the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dennis […] Read more
Ahead of any emergency, plan for the worst
Disaster planning is not a pleasant task but it's vital that producers have a plan, expert says
Identify your resources and review your plan, says an expert in emergency planning for livestock. The COVID-19 pandemic is a very different type of emergency, said Rebecca Husted, a teacher of technical large animal emergency rescue. “Most disasters like fires and floods have people moving around, but in COVID-19, people are not supposed to move […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures rise on cash market strength
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures rose on Friday on a spate of technical buying as the market tried to recover from its steep discount to the cash market, traders said. Strong demand from consumers at grocery stores due to worries about the coronavirus underpinned the gains. “They want to have as much meat […] Read more
There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but horses have weight limits
There are, however, some good guidelines and common sense goes a long way
Reading Time: 3 minutes To date there exists no scientific studies or simple mathematical equations that determine what is — or isn’t — too heavy for a ridden horse to comfortably carry. Current research would seem to suggest that once the combined weight of a rider and tack falls into the range of 15 to 20 per cent of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs rebound with grocery demand in focus
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures rose on Thursday, part of a broad recovery in the agriculture markets stemming from a rebound in crude oil prices and export hopes, traders said. Strong demand for meat in the retail sector underpinned the gains as the industry scrambled to restock grocery stores as the coronavirus pandemic […] Read more
Auction marts urged to introduce social distance
Cattle are still flowing through auction marts as scheduled
The Livestock Markets Association of Canada wants to see more social distance at auction marts in the wake of COVID-19. The association has released an emergency response policy, asking its members to implement social distancing and prevention measures against the virus. “What we are looking at is trying to get a consistent message out to […] Read more
The basics for handling freshly weaned calves at feedlots
Rest and getting them on feed and water are simple things but they take planning and management
Reading Time: 5 minutes Stress can have a big impact on calves and if not managed properly, freshly weaned calves heading to a feed yard can be very susceptible to pneumonia and other illnesses. While herd health veterinarians and feedlot production specialists can each have slightly different approaches to getting new feeders ramped up to the intended full-feed ration, […] Read more
‘Misled’ JBS shareholders in Brazil seek damages
Sao Paulo | Reuters — A group of shareholders in JBS SA has started arbitration proceedings against the Brazilian beef company, claiming they were misled after the company’s IPO in Brazil in 2007. In a statement on Wednesday, U.S.-based law firm DRRT, along with Brazilian co-counsel Finkelstein Advogados, said the shareholders are seeking damages of […] Read more
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