Ontario’s dairy farmers — and those from across Canada — descended on the storied town of Stratford, Ontario, last week to take in the third annual Canadian Dairy Xpo. Bernard Tobin, our Ontario field editor, caught up with show president Jordan Underhill for a recap of what was new and exciting at the show this... Read More
Category: Livestock
There are signs the long-running dispute over U.S. mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) rules for meat is moving closer to resolution, as a Canadian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz visited Washington, DC. this week. “COOL is on life support,” Ritz told reporters on a conference call on Thursday afternoon. In what was... Read More
The federal and Manitoba governments on Thursday announced $3.1 million in funding for beef and grassland research in Manitoba. Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn and Member of Parliament Larry Maguire (Brandon-Souris) unveiled the commitment at the Manitoba Beef Producers' annual meeting in Brandon. Over the next three years, government and industry... Read More
Every year, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture calculates the date by when the average Canadian has earned enough income to pay for their annual grocery bill, and dubs the day “Food Freedom Day.” This year, Food Freedom Day occurs on Friday, February 6th — one day earlier than in 2014. With 2015 being the "International... Read More
With the overall goal to benchmark the sustainability of Canada’s beef industry, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) is currently looking for producer participation. “Verifiable sustainability is a ‘want’ of our major customers, and we are being given the opportunity to define what that looks like,” said Cherie Copithorne Barnes, CRSB chair, in the... Read More
Last week, the U.S. released its cattle inventory numbers for January 1, and, as expected, there was some growth of the cattle herd. The numbers were slightly higher than anticipated, but still make for a historically small cattle herd. What does it mean for cattle supplies going forward? And will the Canadian numbers follow the... Read More
The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) recently completed a study to investigate the status of trace mineral across the province. Pastures were sampled in 2012 and 2013, looking at four soil zones and various forage species in spring and fall. In general, the study found copper and zinc decreased from spring to fall, while iron, manganese... Read More
Today, at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced a nearly $3.8 million investment in livestock and forage research. "Investments in research help keep our livestock industry growing and strong," said Stewart. "The knowledge that will result from the projects receiving funding will ensure our farmers and ranchers remain... Read More
The Alberta Beef Producers is considering changes to its current check-off options, changes that, if passed, would mean the entire check-off collected would be non-refundable in addition to a new $1/head levy. The proposed added dollar would also be non-refundable. In 2010, the province's check-offs on cattle sales were made refundable, a hotly-contested change. The... Read More
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) published a resource on body condition scoring cattle this week. Along with the video below, the BCRC's body condition scoring resource provides an interactive cow graphic, enabling you to compare an animal along a changing scale, and see the gains and losses in pregnancy rates, value, antibody levels in... Read More