Does a cow need to have a calf to give milk? The answer should be obvious, but more than 70% of consumers get the question wrong explains University of Guelph associate professor Mike Von Massow. A majority of Canadians also believe that a chicken is processed for meat when it reaches four years of age.... Read More
Category: Livestock
Lethbridge County unanimously passed its new infrastructure tax on Thursday. It will no doubt increase the tax load for livestock producers in the county. Kasko Cattle Co. is a family-owned operation that runs a pair of feedyards and also farms in the county, so I called Ryan Kasko to discuss the new tax and how... Read More
Costco is about to embark on a very dedicated vertical integration strategy for its chicken business. As reported by Fortune.com earlier this week, Costco is set to build its own processing facility, and will build its own chicken farms for one third of its supply. With plans to produce and slaughter 1.7 million chickens per... Read More
How much time should farmers invest in trying to explain modern agriculture to people unwilling to listen? Feedstuffs journalist and commentator Andy Vance believes agriculture stakeholders need to concentrate their communications efforts on consumers who freely choose food produced by modern agriculture and are either neutral or supportive of using efficiency-enhancing technologies to grow food.... Read More
The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) officially launched their sustainability initiative this week in Ottawa. The initiative, called proAction, includes national standards for milk quality, food safety, animal care, traceability, biosecurity and the environment. It's a way to showcase what the industry's strengths, while also encouraging constant progress and improvement. "As dairy farmers, we are... Read More
This August the Canadian beef industry is about to embark on a new opportunity for all stakeholders to congregate. Enabled by the national beef strategy, a new national meeting is being organized and it will take place August 9-11 at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino in Calgary, Alberta. There are many cattle events throughout... Read More
Cattle feeding does take a true cast iron gut at times. Whether it is dollar exchange, feed costs or external political factors, the volatility in all the profit and loss variables is enough to drive you mad. In this weeks Beef Market Update Anne Wasko and Shaun Haney discuss the beef markets and how the... Read More
Ask Francisco Rodriquez a question about dairy robots and he’ll tell you about people. With more than 38,000 robots milking cows on 19,000 farms around the globe, the technology is becoming ubiquitous throughout the dairy business. But what does it mean for dairy producers as technology revolutionizes the traditional daily milking grind? “The future in... Read More
Today the Alberta Government released its budget and there were some casualties for agriculture. In an effort to cut costs and internalize much of the agency work that has been spun out to third-party boards, the Alberta Livestock Meat Agency had its funding cut. Other boards, commissions and agencies that will be impacted are: Alberta... Read More
Have you ever been to Picture Butte? It is the feedlot capital of Canada. Picture Butte and Lethbridge County are the largest cattle feeding area in Canada. I have lived in the Picture Butte area my entire life. It comes with a butte that no longer exists, a shut down sugar factory that now stores... Read More