Livestock
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are reminding cattle producers in Alberta to call their veterinarians to collect brain tissue samples to be tested for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as Mad Cow Disease. Cattle producers play a key role in monitoring and eradicating this disease from the Canadian […] Read more
Alberta encourages BSE sampling
Klassen: In review and looking forward
Feeder cattle prices in Western Canada have been trending higher throughout 2010. Last week’s prices for cattle weighing over 600 pounds are up 25 per cent in comparison to December of 2009 while lighter weight cattle are up 30-40 per cent over year-ago levels. Prices have gone from 10-year lows to historical highs within a […] Read more
Agropur buys U.S. functional food ingredient maker
Canadian dairy firm Agropur has extended its reach further into America’s Dairyland state by buying a major maker of proteins, stabilizers and other ingredients for food processing. The Quebec-based dairy co-operative announced Wednesday it’s bought Main Street Ingredients of La Crosse, Wis., for an undisclosed sum. Main Street bills itself as “the world’s leading developer […] Read more
Manitoba farmers to get feed testing assistance
An important part of the $18-million in feed and transportation assistance announced for Manitoba farmers last week is the feed-testing component that is being provided to help determine the nutritional value of forage products, a Manitoba Government release says. Feed Testing Assistance provides 50 per cent of the cost of feed tests for up to […] Read more
No proof found for British clone claim: CFIA
A claim that embryos from a cow bred from a British clone were sold to breeders in Canada has no evidence to back it up, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) investigation of the anonymous claim in a U.S. newspaper has found “no evidence to support the allegation,” the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle price momentum continues
Feeder cattle prices in southern Alberta were $3 to $4 higher for all weight categories last week. Stronger demand was noted for animals weighing 700 pounds and heavier, but good quality calves were also well bid. Calves under 400 pounds reached $175 per hundredweight (cwt); 400- to 500-pound steers sold for $150-$160/cwt; and 5-weight cattle […] Read more
Major renos at Cargill beef plant seen boosting exports
A multi-million-dollar project to streamline warehousing at Cargill’s southern Alberta beef packing plant is expected to help the agrifood firm ramp up its exports to Asia. The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) on Monday announced a grant of up to $3 million over two years, funded through the federal/provincial Growing Forward ag policy funding […] Read more
Soaked Man. ranchers to get feed, trucking aid
Months of calls for aid for Manitoba’s waterlogged livestock producers have led to a two-pronged pre-Christmas announcement of public funds to help them source and haul feed to their animals this winter. Application forms are already available online for the Canada-Manitoba Feed and Transportation Assistance Program, announced Friday in Winnipeg. “Conditions this year have made […] Read more
Que. farmers grant land access in ASRA scrap
Quebec’s ubiquitous general farm organization has dropped its directive for the province’s farmers to refuse snowmobilers access to rural trails on their land this winter. L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) announced Friday it had ended its directive, which it adopted in early November in a bid to provoke provincial response on UPA’s concerns over changes […] Read more
All but two bird flu quarantines lifted in Manitoba
Three farms found to have had “contact” with an nearby avian flu-infected turkey farm in Manitoba’s southern Interlake region are all now in the clear. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday announced it had lifted the Dec. 2 quarantines on the three farms, as test results all came up negative for reportable avian influenza. […] Read more
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