Livestock
Reading Time: 2 minutes Better prices have returned to the cattle industry, and last fall, bred heifers were selling in the $1,100 to $1,350 range with some reports at $1,450. “When your heifer comes off pasture next fall and comparable animals are selling for $1,350 to $1,450, you need to know whether or not you should keep her or […] Read more
Will It Pay To Retain Or Purchase Heifers?
Livestock Systems Should Be Biological, Not Mechanical
Reading Time: 2 minutes In Joel Salatin’s ideal world, food production would be local, farms would be diversified, livestock would gambol on pastures and regulations would be… well, deregulated. If you think Salatin wants to go back to the old manner of farming before large-scale commercial production took over, you could be right. At least the old-fashioned model was […] Read more
Alberta Producers Respond To Call For More Lambs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s lamb industry is leading the way in Canada’s lamb sector growth. This is partly in response to a province-wide expansion campaign that saw a 2.3 per cent growth in overall Alberta flock size in 2010, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada. The campaign was launched as a call to action to increase […] Read more
Agricultural Education At 35,000 Feet
Reading Time: 3 minutes On a return flight home recently I was seated by two very nerdy young men. I say that with all respect, as a lot of folks that develop software are not just cool but they play with their cell phones and computers a lot and speak another language. Seeing an opportunity for someone to teach […] Read more
Que. launches financing program for young farmers
The Quebec government and a pair of development capital funds in the province have officially launched an investment fund to help young farmers get start-up financing. Fonds d’investissement pour la releve agricole (FIRA) got its official kickoff Friday in Orford, Que. during the annual conference of the young farmers’ group Federation de la releve agricole […] Read more
U.S. hogs tumble on Japan demand worry after quake
U.S. hog futures fell Friday, closing at their lowest in four days on worries that sales could slow to Japan, the top export market for U.S. pork, after a massive earthquake damaged ports and roadways. “We have to assume lower demand from Japan from consumer fear and confusion. Additionally, we have to assume a portion […] Read more
Feds to back beef producers, packers for IT upgrades
Cattle producers, feedlots and packers are up for federal funding to help keep their information technology (IT) systems BIXS-compatible. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Thursday budgeted $5.3 million from the AgriFlexibility fund for the project, to be spearheaded by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), as part of a larger $8.16 million funding announcement. BIXS, the […] Read more
Quebec boosts bursaries for future livestock vets
A Quebec bursary program aimed at encouraging veterinary students to consider livestock medicine will be sweetened for those planning a rural practice. Provincial Agriculture Minister Pierre Corbeil on Wednesday announced that on top of the $10,000 bursary already offered, veterinary students who choose to practice in more remote regions of Quebec can be eligible for […] Read more
CFIA expects “elevated” anthrax risk in livestock
Weather patterns point to greater risk of poisoning in livestock this summer due to soil-borne anthrax, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns. Spores that cause anthrax poisoning are known to exist in the soil across Canada’s Prairies and generally surface during the summer, particularly when hot, dry temperatures follow a period of heavy rainfall and/or […] Read more
Quebec hog marketing plan approved as regulation
Quebec’s hog farming sector has received approval from the province’s ag and food marketing board reulator for its own form of supply management. According to a release Tuesday from the Federation des producteurs de porcs du Quebec (FPPQ), the Regie des marches agricoles et alimentaires du Quebec (RMAAQ) officially approved the Gestion equilibree de la […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
