However, the process can be painfully slow and inefficient. But researchers may have found a way to change that.

A three-year project conducted by SAIT’s Glen Kathler tested the ability of ultra-high-frequency RFID tag readers to process data from several cattle at a time as they’re walked through an archway. That’s an improvement on the current practice of putting cattle through a squeeze chute one by one and reading their data using low-frequency RFID technology.

“Our mandate from (project funders) Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency at the time was to be able to read up to seven animals through a 16-foot alley at 20 miles per hour. We proved that,” said Kathler.

• Read more: PRECISION RANCHING: Manage your cattle from your easy chair

While the efficiency of the UHF-RFID/archway prototype reveal some obvious benefits for producers, auction marts, transporters, and packing plants, there is also a strong animal welfare component.

“The biggest benefit — and the reason for researching it in the first place — was the fact that you can now sort animals and obtain their data with limited stress on the animal,” said Kathler.

“If you look at any of the research on animal handling in a squeeze chute, you’re going to lose between one and 1-1/2 per cent of their body weight every time they get squeezed.

“But when you move them through a wide alley for sorting between pens and a feedlot, you know exactly what animals you’re loading without that individual squeeze activity.”

Although all of the components needed to set up a similar system are commercially available, it may be a while before operations can create their own archway.

This is mainly due to the low supply — and therefore high expense — of UHF-RFID tags currently on the market.

“No one is actually selling a package that looks like (our prototype) and the reason for that is UHF tags are just kind of trickling into the industry, mostly in countries other than Canada,” said Kathler.

The post High-frequency tags: Easier data reading, happier cattle appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“It’s been a heck of a ride. This is emotional,” ALMA board chair Dave Chalack said to an audience of about 260 industry partners, board directors, and staff at the agency’s last FutureFare conference.

The provincial government announced in April it would dissolve the arm’s length agency that administered funds for Alberta’s livestock and meat sector. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry will begin administering its programs, effective Nov. 1.

Since it was created in 2008, ALMA has dispensed about $230 million in government-supplied funds, which it leveraged with contributions from industry, resulting in a total investment of $946 million. The 1,400 projects it funded created about 15,000 jobs, said Chalack, a veterinarian and president of Rocky Mountain Holsteins.

“The agency has been lauded by observers as having a profound effect on the meat and livestock sector in Alberta as well as Canada as a whole,” he said. “As Ted Bilyea, one of the original directors said, ‘The legacy of ALMA will grow with time.’”

In its last full fiscal year, $24.2 million was invested in 195 projects, generating more than $101 million in value for industry. During its existence, its staff worked with every livestock board and commission in Alberta, as well as with many national organizations. Both its employees and CEO Gordon Cove were commended for their professionalism, leadership and collaborative efforts, especially in the last four months, as they worked to transition the agency into Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

The transition

Many of ALMA’s 25 former staff, including some senior personnel, were recruited to positions at Alberta Agriculture through an open, competitive process.

“That’s of tremendous benefit to us, because of continuity, corporate memory, leadership and activity within the industry,” said John Brown, assistant deputy minister. He estimated that most of ALMA’s former programs should be up and running by mid-December.

ALMA’s three areas of investment — productivity, sustainability, and differentiation — will be continued and Brown said there will be consultations with industry groups around these strategic priorities.

“But for now, the ship is not going to turn around — it’s going to keep going in terms of those areas,” he said. “In terms of programming, what will be delivered will be similar to what you are familiar with.”

Growing Forward 2 programs formerly administered by the agency will now be run by government, including the agri-processing product and market development program as well as the agri-processing automation and efficiency program.

“Those programs will hit the ground running,” said Brown.

Research and development initiatives will be conducted by a business unit in Alberta Agriculture that closely resembles ALMA’s former unit.

“Our target is that by mid-December, we will be functioning and folks will know how we function,” he said.

The industry and market development program will also be similar.

Current recipients of ALMA funds with active projects have received new letters of assignment, while those who submitted funding applications will be notified once government staff have reviewed their proposals.

“We are pushing for mid-December, but certainly by 2017, you will be notified,” said Brown.

A process for future funding applications will be outlined, well defined and communicated to industry, he said.

The one department within ALMA that has not been accounted for is the strategic initiatives department.

“We haven’t figured out what to do yet. Give us the time and we’ll sort it out. That one is the greyest from our perspective,” said Brown.

The post ALMA reaches the end of the road appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“I know ALMA was able to move fairly quickly in terms of responding to both opportunities and concerns and really apply resources in a very forthright fashion because of the way it was structured,” said Jerry Bouma, of Toma & Bouma Management Consultants.

In 2014-15, ALMA put $9.5 million into 76 projects related to agri-food processing, including ones for automation, efficiency, and product and market development.

And while those monies may still be in the budget, an arm’s-length agency like ALMA is still needed to manage those investments, said Joe Makowecki, the founding chairman of the agency.

“It’s disappointing that they’ve decided to dissolve ALMA,” said Makowecki, president of Heritage Frozen Foods. “I think there’s very little money they’re going to save. The number is around $3 million, and that’s a very small number when you look at the economic benefit ALMA was providing.

“I wouldn’t have got involved if I didn’t think there was a need for that.”

Makowecki would like to see the provincial government reconsider its decision to bring ALMA in-house.

“Governments do make mistakes from time to time, but you can always reverse those decisions.”

The post Is scrapping ALMA a mistake? appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“With our budget of $24 million, we encourage industry to continue submitting proposals and applications directly to ALMA throughout the transition,” president and CEO Gordon Cove said in a news release.

“All projects will continue as contracted and our staff will ensure projects are executed to our usual highest standards… Rest assured, the Alberta government is committed to fulfilling ALMA-industry grant contracts.”

The province announced in last month’s budget that it would disband the agency and take over its operations — a move it said will save about $3 million annually.

The move was decried by many in the livestock and processing sectors, who said the organization had proved its worth since its creation in 2008.

Cove said that came from developing strong relationships and partnerships.

“This was a result of our commitment to ask industry, ‘What do you need?’ and, ‘How can we best work with you?’”

The agency is also postponing the FutureFare 2016 event, originally scheduled for June 14, until the fall.

The post ALMA still taking proposals appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The two organizations will be awarding $1.5 million in grants for research in the following areas:

• Identify and/or develop practical and economically viable modifications to current beef production practices that reduce the need for non-ionophore in-feed antimicrobials, such as tylosin and oxy/chlortetracycline. (The development of pre/pro/synbiotics, the use of plant-based or other chemical antimicrobial alternatives will not be considered under this research call.)
• Identify and/or quantify differences in animal biological processes or genetics that affect animal health responses to high-grain diets.
• Develop and pilot rapid and/or chute-side diagnostic techniques that can identify antimicrobial-resistant bovine pathogens and help inform antimicrobial treatment decisions in real time.
• Quantify baseline antimicrobial use data at both the cow-calf and feedlot levels.
• Quantify the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bovine pathogens in cattle arriving at the feedlot prior to any antimicrobial treatment at the lot, and/or in cull cattle arriving for slaughter.

Projects can be between one and three years in duration, but must be completed by Sept. 30, 2019.

The post Research on antimicrobial use and resistance to be funded appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“We were surprised and disappointed,” said Dave Chalack, a rancher and veterinarian who is chair of ALMA’s board. “I know we had a great organization and one that has evolved in a significant and positive way over its lifetime.”

This past year, the agency put about $28.5 million into more than 200 programs and leveraged to about $170 million from industry, he said.

“In the past six years, our investments were leveraged up to about a billion dollars,” said Chalack. “So we were surprised because it’s frequently heard in the media how important agriculture is for diversification and job creation.”

The organization, which employs 25 people, will transition into Alberta Agriculture and Forestry in the next three to six months.

Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier said the decision, announced as part of the budget earlier this month, was a cost-cutting measure, and is expected to save the province about $3 million annually.

“The minister and deputy minister have promised to work with the board and staff over the coming months. I’m concerned for the staff,” said Chalack. “This is not a good time to be set free on the job market, but I’m sure they will be treated respectfully. They’re shattered.”

ALMA’s programming will continue under the provincial Agriculture Department, but its budget was reduced from $25 million to $17 million. ALMA’s board reported to the minister and was solely funded by the government of Alberta.

“They believe they will have more direct contact with stakeholders,” said Chalack.

The creation of the agency in 2008 was initially met with skepticism by many in the livestock sector, but that view has changed.

“We didn’t think there was that need,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “We welcomed the funding that ALMA could provide, but we didn’t think there was a need for a new agency. It was portrayed as an agency that would lead the industry, and we already felt there was more than satisfactory leadership with the current organizations that we had.”

It took a while for the agency to find its footing, but it has since proved its worth, said Smith.

“They made some very good investments in projects and initiatives that will serve the industry well in the future,” he said. “It has made a difference. They had a substantial amount of funding available, more available than certain other sources. It was good for our industry to have access to that funding. Our ability to work with the people at ALMA to guide where the investments were made was quite strong.”

Alberta Beef Producers was working with ALMA on a number of projects and the organization provided funding for research and market development work.

The organization was valuable, said Ray Price, president of Sunterra Meats, that also received some funding from ALMA for several projects.

“They’ve been good for agriculture and for the livestock side of the business,” said Price. “It was becoming a place where everybody felt they could go to get some information and possibly some support for unique Alberta products.”

The agency’s board, which includes producers and business people, gave it distance from government and that’s a good thing, said Price. In other provinces, such as Ontario (where Sunterra has some operations), the provincial government is directly involved in some of the funding decisions, he said.

“I liked the structure because it was more business oriented on evaluation purposes,” said Price. “At least that’s what we felt versus Ontario, where you could get bigger money but it was up to a government decision-making process.

“If they were going to have a structure that provides support for businesses, it’s always good to have a business connection on the side. Business guys know business. They’re not always going to be right, but they’re in the mode of looking at things like that.”

The budget also eliminated four other, lesser-known agriculture agencies: the Agricultural Development Committee, the Agricultural Operation Practices Act Policy Advisory Group, the Alberta Farm Safety Advisory Council, and the Alberta Grains Council.

The 2016-17 operating budget for the combined Agricultural and Forestry departments was set at $1.036 billion, down from the $1.072 billion budgeted for the 2015-16 fiscal year. But it’s now forecast operating expenses for the current fiscal year will come in at $1.013 billion.

Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci’s budget said the department’s spending will fall to $1.009 billion in 2017-18 before rising slightly to $1.041 billion in 2018-19.

The post ALMA a casualty of provincial government cuts appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“The typical button tag has been around for a long time and works very well, but it’s in a low-frequency spectrum and the read range is therefore very, very short,” said Glen Kathler, applied research chair of the Radio Frequency Identification Application Development Lab at SAIT Polytechnic.

“With this ultra-high radio frequency technology, now you have a tag that you can read from up to 20 feet away, and you can also read more than one tag at a time.”

The Calgary school was approached in 2011 by Livestock Identification Services to see if there was technology to improve cattle traceability. LIS and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were interested in things such as real-time tracking of cattle during transport and enhanced disease traceability when animals commingle.

“We looked at the whole supply chain, right from the producer all the way to the packing plant — with stops at the auction markets, the feedlots, and the transport companies — to see where some of the biggest gaps are,” said Kathler.

Ultra-high-frequency RFID tracking — widely used in areas as diverse as oil and gas, manufacturing, and prisons — seemed like the way to go, not just for agencies like LIS but also producers. Kathler uses the example of a producer loading cattle or moving them to a new pasture.

“He could literally take something out of his saddlebag, stick it into a fence post for 20 minutes while he moved animals, and it would just read all of the tags of the animals going through the gate,” said Kathler.

“It’s very automated, and it simply creates a higher level of accuracy as opposed to trying to read something visually, as well as having to be so close to an animal that you can read a tag with a low-frequency wand reader.”

The technology would also be highly useful at auction marts for tracking animals from pre-sale pens through to loading. But it’s feedlots that stand to gain the most, he said.

“Just the ability to sort animals, to move animals, and to read tags without adding any additional stress by having them go through the squeeze chute was a big attraction for that particular market,” said Kathler, adding cattle are conservatively estimated to lose one per cent of body weight from stress each time they go through a squeeze chute.

“We showed that if you could eliminate even one of the trips through the squeeze chute to get its tag read, there’s a significant cost savings because there simply would be no stress on the animal. They don’t know they’re being read. They’re not being squeezed. They’re just being moved from one pen to another.”

Other benefits

And because the system can read multiple tags at once, there’s a big time savings, too.

“We can have animals go through a wide alley as they’re sorting from pen to pen, and we can read all the tags, even if they’re going one at a time or we’re bunching them 20 or 30 or 200 or 300 at a time through the alley.”

Ultra-high-frequency systems are also one-tenth the cost of their low-frequency cousins, and have impressive accuracy.

“We did roughly 4,000 squeeze chute tag reads, and we only ever read the tag we were trying to read,” said Kathler. “People were wondering if they were going to read all the animals in the tub way behind the animal in the squeeze chute, and we showed that you only read the animal in the squeeze chute.”

His team also installed readers in two cattle liners and hauled a few loads to Cargill’s High River plant.

“We captured a real-time cloud-based manifest of the 48 animals and the exact inventory list of those animals,” said Kathler. “The reader on the liner automatically uploaded its loading and unloading manifest into the cloud, and we were able to compare those two manifests to show that there is the ability with this technology to create this automated shipping manifest that would allow for better traceability.”

More testing is planned for this spring at Olds College, which will allow researchers to study a single herd for 35 to 40 weeks.

But while everything has been highly promising so far, widespread adoption of the technology is a ways off.

“It is probably in the three- to five-year window before it would even be approved for use in traceability,” said Kathler, adding that he expects the feedlot sector will be keenest to adopt the technology.

There may be a period when both technologies exist side by side, and one tag manufacturer is making a dual-purpose tag, with both low-frequency and high-frequency components.

“In essence, the tag could be approved for use by the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency for its low-frequency capabilities, but it now also has this ultra-high-frequency portion to it as well.”

Kathler’s team has also developed a smartphone reader that can read both types of tags.

“We’re trying to look at as many ways as possible when it comes time to transition to make it as easy as possible for any portion of the industry to consider adopting it.”

The four-year, $1-million research project was funded by the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency.

The post Taking cattle tag reading to the next level appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The panels are used to identify animal traits like feed efficiency and carcass quality. Eight partners are now using SNP technology for parentage on a regular basis, while three new partners are working towards that goal. This has helped not-for-profit Delta Genomics add more than 15,000 samples to its biobank. The data will be used to identify more traits of interest.

For more information, see deltagenomics.com.

The post Using genomics to improve cattle appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The report predicts there will be a modest increase in the provincial cattle herd, partly because producers are “cautious” about additional investments.

“The rapid improvement in the equity position is a double-edged sword, with some producers choosing to exit the industry while others are investing — although the extent and pace of exit are likely tempered by tax considerations,” states the report prepared by Informa Economics.

The beef sector has been challenged by country-of-origin labelling laws, higher feed costs and BSE in the past decade, said Clint Dobson, ALMA’s senior manager of research and policy.

But the market is sending positive signals, he added.

“Global production of beef has slowed and export opportunities continue with strong demands in markets such as China which will remain important factors.”

World hog production is growing slower than it has historically while demand remains strong. “In Alberta, the sector is still rebuilding from lost equity despite positive margins in 2014,” said Dobson.

The report estimates that producers have recovered just 30 to 40 per cent of the losses they suffered in the previous decade and forecasts only very modest growth in herd numbers.

“Producers are being cautious,” the report states. “They are very aware of increasing U.S. herds. No one expects growth over the next five years, as farmers do not have the equity to put into their operations, and there is little, if any, interest from the banking sector in extending credit. If margins remain positive, it will likely be five to seven years before organic growth occurs.”

The study also looked at the economic impact the sectors have on the provincial economy.

“What is obvious is how important the cattle and hog sectors are to the provincial economy measured by direct and indirect impacts including sales, service, and purchasing trends,” said Dobson.

“The results show that the two industries combined contributed over $7 billion in GDP to Alberta’s economy and employs over 96,000 workers. The report projects that those totals will change to $11.5 billion in GDP and employ approximately 155,000 by 2025.”

However, labour availability was identified as a key challenge to expanding both sectors, Dobson said.

The full report and executive summary of Medium-Term Economic Outlook for Alberta’s Cattle and Hog Sectors can be found at alma.alberta.ca.

The post Hog and cattle expansion will be slow appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Forage is the key driver of Alberta’s cattle industry competitiveness, accounting for two-thirds of costs,” Alberta Beef Producers said in a statement.

The priority research areas eligible for funding are:

• Improved grazing, management, and forage mixture strategies that optimize hay yields and beef production from native range and tame pastures.
• Quantification of varietal and species differences in the ability of grasses, legumes, and annual forages to maintain nutritional quality throughout the grazing season and in extended stockpiled or swath-grazing systems.
• Quantification of cereal forage variety differences in digestibility, nutrient profile for extended stockpiled, bale or swath-grazing and ensiling potential.
• Evaluation of yield, nutrient profile, and animal performance of new forage varieties in geographical regions beyond the development region.
• Utilization and management strategies of forage varieties and mixtures to improve feed efficiency, reduce incidence of nutritional disorders, and improve reproduction.
• Development of perennial and annual forage varieties with improved nutritive value and agronomic characteristics, such as yield, stand longevity, improved resource use efficiency, drought resistance, disease resistance, and carbon sequestration ability.

The post Funding for forage research appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.