Reading Time: < 1 minute Wondering how to use genomics, deal with lower-quality feed, or about health issues faced by cattle producers in your area? Then you may want to attend one of 10 workshops being held across Alberta in late October and early November. The ‘Tools to build your cow herd’ workshops are being put on by Alberta Agriculture […] Read more
‘Build your cow herd’ workshops on tap
Workshops begin Oct. 23 and run to early November across Alberta
Lots to see on cow forage tour
Field Day Aug. 22 at the Lacombe Research Centre
Reading Time: < 1 minute Several on-pasture demonstrations will be held during a field day co-hosted by Livestock Gentec and the Lacombe Research Centre. The Aug. 22 event at the research centre will focus on better understanding the interactions among cows, forage, and genomics and on optimizing cow/forage production. The demonstrations include a multi-site legume tour; high- and low-vigour cows […] Read more
Gentec field day slated for Aug. 22
Reading Time: < 1 minute Gentec and Lacombe Research Centre will hold a field day on Aug. 22 at the research station. This year’s event will focus on the interaction between cows, forage, and genomics. Presenters will highlight innovations relating to optimizing cow and forage production. On-pasture presentations include showcasing groups of high- and low-vigour cows and heifers; innovations and […] Read more
Get ready for super-efficient cattle — and a better relationship with consumers
Top researcher says big data and genomics are game changers, but winning the trust of consumers is equally key
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the ever-changing landscape of Canadian agriculture, efficiency is the new watchword. “If we can increase efficiency of production by about five per cent in Alberta, we can save producers about $100 million a year — even if only one-third of livestock producers adopt those efficient improvements,” said Erasmus Okine, vice-president of research at the […] Read more
The gap between genomics theory and real-life cattle production
Genotyping works well in the purebred world, but not so much in a commercial herd
Reading Time: 2 minutes Lakeland College’s student-managed farm’s research project brings together visual appraisal, phenotypic data from a residual feed intake test, and genomics to measure a herd of 50 heifers. “We wanted to take in visual and phenotypic data, and because we have so many tools with genomics, we wanted to add that as a third level to […] Read more
College pioneers first livestock research student-managed farm
Managing a research herd is a different ball of wax, and students and instructors say it teaches many new skills
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sixteen students are getting a taste of applied research as part of Lakeland College’s first student-managed farm livestock research team. The second-year students, all enrolled in animal science technology, are managing a herd of 50 cattle involved in research trials. “They have to manage the herd for profitability, but we also have a commercial (cattle) […] Read more
Does the ‘appetite gene’ make for better cattle?
A genetic mutation in cattle makes gains with a little help from its friends
Reading Time: 5 minutes Somewhat controversial in the early days of cattle genetic coding, leptin — a hormone that regulates appetite in animals and humans — is making a comeback among some cattle breeders. The difference this time is its common inclusion in a broad panel of beneficial genes tested in cattle, said Stephen Moore, a leading researcher in […] Read more
University of Alberta-led swine study tackles next health frontier
Study focuses on using genomic tools to protect swine exposed to multiple disease threats
Reading Time: 2 minutes If Canada is going to maintain a successful position in the global pork marketplace, swine health and animal care promises to be one of the deciding factors. Sustainable production and competitive pricing will be priorities and swine health and welfare is both a social requirement and necessity for sustainable production. Porcine health management represents a […] Read more
Using genomics to improve cattle
Reading Time: < 1 minute Delta Genomics is working with multiple industry groups on an initiative to make SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) panels more flexible, affordable, and less time consuming, without compromising accuracy. 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, […] Read more
Major funding for wheat genomics project
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, and Western Grains Research Foundation are providing $3.6 million in funding over four years for a research project on wheat genomics. The goal of the Canadian Triticum Applied Genomics project, which will cost $8.8 million in total, is to develop a “breeder-friendly” genotyping platform to allow whole […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
