Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s not every day you see a group of politicians from France’s Assemblée nationale trooping around an Alberta ranch in plastic booties. But that was the case earlier this month at Shoestring Ranch near Acme as Ian and Carman Murray played host to three députés (France’s version of MPs), a pair of officials from Canada’s […] Read more
C’est bon: French politicians check out Alberta cattle ranch
Bringing European officials to cattle country is part of a multi-pronged effort to sell beef to the EU
Waste not, want not — a different way to treat farm effluent
Chilean biowaste filtering system is an alternative to lagoons in treating liquid waste from dairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers know that earthworms are good for the soil — now they’re being used to process liquid waste from dairies, hog operations, and slaughterhouses. The process not only provides faster treatment than using lagoons, but also significantly reduces concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and therefore the need for as much farmland to dispose of […] Read more
Sustainable beef will become the new standard for producers worldwide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Carmen White, 15, of Claresholm was the junior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. Her topic was: What is sustainability and why does it matter to Canadian agriculture? Canadian agriculture is constantly evolving to meet the needs of society. Beef producers, like myself and my family, have a […] Read more
Even in Feedlot Alley, consumers don’t trust hormone use
The beef sector has long said hormone implants are safe, but most Lethbridge residents aren’t convinced
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a pretty disheartening finding: Nearly two-thirds of residents of Lethbridge — located in Feedlot Alley — oppose the use of growth hormones in cattle, according to a recent survey. “I would suspect that a lot of people don’t understand,” said Roland Cailliau, a cow-calf producer from Valleyview. “They don’t read and they don’t understand […] Read more
Producers can now take beef sustainability to the bank
Raising ‘certified sustainable’ beef earns producers a premium and McDonald’s is going all in
Reading Time: 4 minutes Four years after McDonald’s chose Canada to launch its landmark sustainable beef initiative, some producers and feedlots are happily cashing cheques for participating in that effort. And while the amounts so far have been fairly small, it’s a big plus for producers, say participants. “We started on that journey because we thought it was important […] Read more
Strong demand pushing up basis
Reading Time: < 1 minute Strong packer demand in Western Canada has pushed Alberta cash prices for slaughter steers higher than the Nebraska cash price. “Our beef cow herd numbers have been flat compared to the expansion of the U.S. beef cow herd,” said provincial livestock market analyst Jason Wood. “This has been a big driver to keep more cattle […] Read more
Meat tax unlikely but alternatives gaining ground
Consumers are being offered more plant-based proteins and adding more of them to their diets, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes A tax on meat was the story d’jour at the start of the new year, and although the prospects of such a tax seem slim, the livestock industry risks losing market share to plant-based products, says an expert. The call for a tax came from Jeremy Coller, founder of one of the world’s largest private […] Read more
Efficiency in sheep production measured in pennies
Reading Time: 3 minutes Some livestock producers think about saving a buck when feeding their animals. But for sheep producers, it comes down to cents. “With sheep, you’ve always got to think about costs,” said Paul Luimes, a livestock nutrition researcher at the University of Guelph. “You’ve got to look for pennies to save because there’s not a lot […] Read more
A taxing situation — study says there’s no easy fix to county’s cattle tax
The levy on feedlot cattle has some justification, a lot of drawbacks, and no trouble-free alternatives, says new study
Reading Time: 4 minutes Lethbridge County’s head tax is unfair for cattle feeders — but there’s no easy alternative. Those are the key takeaways from a new study that looked at both the impact of a per-cow tax, and how the county could raise badly needed funds for maintaining and repairing its roads. Read more: Lethbridge County ‘head tax’ ruled […] Read more
New technology brings new risks to the farm, say experts
Advances — from needleless injectors to auto steer — make farming easier, but also have safety implications
Reading Time: 3 minutes New technology brings many advantages to the farm, but can also result in unintended hazards, both for farmers and animals. This was stressed numerous times during presentations on technology at this year’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Association annual general meeting. Read more: AgSafe Alberta offering free safety programs for farmers “There’s a lot of routine work on […] Read more
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