Livestock
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle pregnancy loss occurs for many reasons. Knowing about it can help you manage it and reduce it. “Pregnancy loss occurs throughout all stages of gestation — it’s sort of a natural selection,” veterinarian Steve Hendrick of Coaldale Veterinary Services said during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar. “There are lots of genetic and […] Read more
Understanding reasons for pregnancy loss can help prevent it
About two to three per cent of cows will experience pregnancy loss but that number can be reduced
Simple strategies can help reduce pregnancy loss in cattle
Feed testing, good nutrition, exercise, low-stress handling, and biosecurity are all beneficial for pregnant cows
Reading Time: 2 minutes The best way to reduce pregnancy losses in pregnant cows is to take a multi-pronged approach. First, it pays to test both feed and water. “It is surprising how much variability in our forages occurs year to year and season to season,” veterinarian Steve Hendrick said during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar. “It […] Read more
CETA clears legal test hurdle in EU parliament
Strasbourg | Reuters –– The planned EU-Canada free trade deal cleared a hurdle to its implementation next year when the European Parliament rejected a motion on Wednesday to ask the top European Union court to rule on its legality. The vote by lawmakers in the parliament is an indication they will also ultimately back the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs falter on profit-taking after two-month high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures eased about one per cent on Tuesday as investors locked in profits after prices earlier climbed to the highest levels in more than two months, traders and analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were slightly higher and feeder cattle narrowly lower, in largely technically-driven trade ahead […] Read more
A full and robust traceability system still years away
Alberta is one of the few provinces with mandatory premises identification, but some livestock owners still aren’t registered
Reading Time: 2 minutes A national traceability system covering the entire country would pay major benefits — but it currently has far too many gaps, says a senior traceability official. “The creation of a system has to be national in scope,” said Rick Frederickson, director of animal welfare and national traceability initiatives with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We need […] Read more
New era of traceability needs to involve the consumer
A system created to deal with food safety issues should also be a ‘conduit’ connecting consumers and farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes One of Canada’s best-known food experts says that while farmers and the ag sector are trying hard to connect with consumers, they’re not pulling it off. And they’ll need to do better because customer engagement is critical in the new “era of supply chain transparency,” Sylvain Charlebois told the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s inaugural Traceability […] Read more
Drought-hit tax deferral zones named
Ottawa has seen enough drought in parts of southwestern Alberta, southern and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to offer deferrals on their ranchers’ 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Tuesday released the federal government’s initial list of municipalities designated for the 2016 deferral. In Alberta, those areas include Clearwater, […] Read more
Guenther: Canada’s beef export sector waiting, watching
As speculation swirls around U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to renegotiate NAFTA, officials with Canada’s beef industry are taking a measured approach. They’re not ignoring the possibility of trade disruptions in the U.S., said Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association — “but neither are we lighting our hair on fire yet at each […] Read more
Ranchers under quarantine fear going ‘broke by spring’
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Ranchers in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan whose herds are under quarantine due to the spread of bovine tuberculosis told federal legislators Tuesday they desperately need to sell cattle or receive compensation to avoid financial disaster. Ranchers who raise calves typically sell them in autumn to feedlots, where they are fattened […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle jump on positive outlook
Average prices for steer and heifer calves jumped $8-$10 this past week with some buyers reporting values as much as $15 above week-ago levels. Feedlot operators could feel it in their bones earlier in November and there were no strings attached on orders flowing across the Prairies. Favourable weather reinforced the narrow premium of weaned […] Read more