Livestock
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even though we think of mastitis as more of a dairy disease, producers still need to be vigilant in their beef herds. With higher milk production and cows being retained in our herds longer, both these factors have a tendency to increase mastitis incidence. Mastitis or inflammation of the mammary gland results in swelling in […] Read more
Mastitis — Not Just A Problem With Dairy Cows
BSE Surveillance System Catches Alberta Dairy Cow
Reading Time: 2 minutes The national BSE surveillance system has confirmed a six-year- old Alberta dairy cow as Canada’s first case of BSE in almost a year. The 77-month-old animal was confirmed Feb. 18 to have had the brain-wasting disease, making it Canada’s 18th domestic case since 2003. As per Canadian Food Inspection Agency policy in place since 2009, […] Read more
CPIP Expanded To Include Calves
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation’s Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) has been expanded to include calves, the third cattle insurance program to become available within the CPIP suite of programs. AFSC said CPIP-Calf is available to purchase from February to May each year with policies expiring in the fall calf run from September to December. […] Read more
South Korea Reopens Slaughterhouses After FMD
Reading Time: < 1 minute South Korea, battling against its worst foot-and-mouth outbreak, said March 2 it had reopened most slaughterhouses nationwide to ease a supply shortage after closing them to contain the animal disease. The government of Asia’s fourth-largest economy said in a separate statement that it had confirmed 150 cases in 11 provinces in three months so far, […] Read more
NFU Says No To Enviropig
Reading Time: < 1 minute The National Farmers Union wants the pork industry to shun the so-called Enviropig. The genetically modified porcine is designed to reduce feed costs and excrete less phosphorus. But it is no substitute for better farm management, NFU Region 3 co-ordinator Sean McGivern said. The NFU is part of a coalition of social and environmental groups […] Read more
Annabelle Denson New ABVMA President
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dr. Annabelle Denson was appointed president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) at the annual meeting in Calgary on Feb. 27. Dr. Denson is the director of the Distributed Veterinary Learning Community at the University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine. Following her graduation from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983, she […] Read more
Pork Industry Wants S. Korea Deal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canadian pork industry groups last week called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday to push ahead with free trade talks with South Korea, fearing Canada will lose sales to rival exporters. The U.S. said last Monday it was ready to begin final talks on a bill to implement a free trade deal with South […] Read more
SRMs To Heat Building
Reading Time: < 1 minute A Quebec City-area rendering facility will get a federal loan for over $7.7 million to buy and install a boiler system fuelled by specified risk materials (SRMs). Sanimax ACI’s plant at Levis will get a repayable contribution of up to $7,742,954 through the federal Slaughter Waste Innovation Program for an “ultra-modern” biomass boiler in which […] Read more
Weaning: A Vital Step That Is Too Often Done The Wrong Way
Reading Time: 3 minutes How do you know it’s weaning time in ranching country? That’s easy. It’s the only time of the year that the bawling of cows and weaned calves is loud enough to drown out the howling coyotes. But what’s music to the ears of the ranchers anticipating the arrival of their annual paycheque is actually the […] Read more
Heavier Carcasses Good For Both Producer And Processor
Reading Time: 3 minutes The trend to heavier hog carcass weights benefits both the producer and the processor, said two speakers at the recent Banff Pork Seminar. Ron Gietz, with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, pointed out that selling more kilos of pork per sow led to higher producer margins. Jason Manness, procurement director with Maple Leaf Foods, said […] Read more
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