Reading Time: 3 minutes As I’ve been travelling this past year, I’ve been astonished by the level of traceability in processing plants abroad. I was welcomed into two plants, on two different continents, with open arms and fantastic hospitality with the only request being I leave my camera outside. Geographically these two businesses couldn’t be further apart but their […] Read more
Are we using traceability to its full potential?
Other countries extend traceability right to the packaging of meat so customers can find out what individual animal and farm it came from
Is this the one? Latest BIXS revamp aims to boost bottom line
CCA is partnering with an IT company with the goal of creating a calf-to-carcass system that will benefit everyone in the beef chain
Reading Time: 4 minutes BIXS is getting another overhaul — but this revamp could make the beef database a lot more attractive to cattle producers. The Beef InfoXchange System has struggled since its creation four years ago to attract producers, but the company taking it over says it will be expanded and enhanced to bring in all players — […] Read more
Trust is the key to sustainable beef production
Jerry Wulf says trust, transparency, and finding win-wins were the keys to building one of North America’s largest integrated beef operations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cattleman Leonard Wulf lived by a simple philosophy before he passed away in 2003: “You can get everything in life you want if you help others get what they want.” That principle still guides his son Jerry as he manages Wulf cattle — one of the largest integrated beef companies in North America. “As we […] Read more
Data from your farm has value and shouldn’t be given away
But under current rules, the end-user of the data is the owner, which means farmers are giving away an increasingly valuable commodity
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many questions surrounding the use of data for and from farmers. Who owns the data? What is required? How does this benefit me as a farmer? I took to the streets with these questions as part as an ongoing quest to clarify just what it is that farmers may expect and more importantly, […] Read more
Premises ID now more user-friendly
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Premises Identification (PID) online registration system has been updated to provide a more user-friendly way to register or update information. The mandatory PID program is the first step in the traceability system linking livestock and poultry to land locations. This allows industry and government to locate animals more quickly and accurately to confine a disease […] Read more
New program for dairy producers aims to reassure consumers
ProAction replaces the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding components for animal care and environmental sustainability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dairy producers are revamping the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding protocols for animal care, on-farm food safety, traceability, biosecurity, and environmental sustainability. The new national accreditation program, called ProAction, was designed with consumers in mind, said Mike Slomp, industry and member services manager with Alberta Milk. “ProAction is about the social licence to operate, […] Read more
Alberta’s first positive PEDv test means increased vigilance
A positive test for PEDv and a second one for swine delta coronavirus were recorded at handling facilities, not farms
Reading Time: 4 minutes Two positive tests for porcine diseases in the province have experts reminding Alberta producers to enhance their biosecurity. A PCR test found porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the office at a pig-handling facility — the first time the virus has been found in Alberta. A second test, also at a pig-handling facility, detected a […] Read more
iPhone-based program gives meat processors full traceability
BioLinks software also tracks sales and manages inventory
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re a small meat processor, you can now manage your entire operation using your iPhone and a personal computer, thanks to an Alberta-created program called BioLinks. “I wouldn’t want to run our business without BioLinks,” said Tim Hofer, manager of the Pine Haven Colony Meat shop. The meat shop was a participant in the […] Read more
Funding drop squeezes livestock agency
Livestock Identification Services is focusing on helping producers deal with new traceability requirements and its core duties
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s livestock inspection and identification organization says declining operating dollars, fewer staff, and losing its chief operating officer won’t stand in the way of meeting the needs of this province’s cattle producers. That confidence is particularly important right now, given the federal government’s anticipated regulatory amendments requiring national cattle movement reporting and the world market’s […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
