It’s our own complacency that brought on the threat of antimicrobial resistance, says Trisha Dowling, a professor of veterinary clinical pharmacology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. “We got complacent just pretty much thinking there was a pill for every ill. So there’s been a whole lot of use of antibiotics just in case someone or… Read More

The 5th annual UCVM Beef Cattle Conference is officially underway today, following a rather insightful day of pre-conference workshops at the University of Calgary’s Spyhill Campus. The pre-conference dealt with proper management of cattle, covering low-stress handling techniques, treatment protocols and humane euthanasia. For now, I’ll report on the middle ground, as I’ve covered cattle… Read More

As the wind and sun beat across the land, there is little we can do but let hope outweigh worry. And that’s what we hear now, as the people on the land dance around the dreaded ‘d’ word — drought — knowing it’s not yet too late. Because, beside the cracks that spread through the soil, there… Read More

The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program’s (WLPIP) calf coverage deadline is May 28, 2015. WLPIP is a risk management program, allowing producers to pay a premium for forward price coverage. Should market price fall below their coverage level for their time frame, the producer will receive a payment. It all sounds pretty straightforward, but deciding… Read More

In the last few years, we have seen incredible innovations in food and agriculture, often inspired by environmental improvements, the push for more local food and increased global food security. Urban agriculture is cropping up in cities, insect farms are crawling out of the wood work, and cafes are repurposing would-be waste. In an effort to… Read More

When you have livestock, you have scouring stock. Or, at least that’s how it seems some years, when any spare time you thought you might have is spent mixing, smelling and tubing warm electrolytes. In this episode of Ruminating with RealAg (the podcast), we hear about calf scours from Cody Creelman, a large animal veterinarian… Read More

Ergot (often refered to as “Ergot of Rye”) is a disease caused by the plant fungus Claviceps pururea. It’s history with humans is rich and painful, believed to be a contributing factor in the Salem Witch Trials, and the diagnoses of “Holy Fire,” later termed “St. Anthony’s Fire.” Today, it is regarded as a highly… Read More

We’ve all seen it. The gentle rancher who turns Hyde in the face of cattle handling. Sticks or prods come out, and everyone prepares for the yelling that will follow. But what if that rancher could just be his or her gentle self even when working cattle? This past winter, I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in… Read More

The room was abuzz with the energy of high cattle prices, an informative day of sessions, and the opportunity to dress up for a night of entertainment. There was a white tablecloth, food heaped onto my plate, the offer of an array of drinks a short stroll away, and a group of quasi-strangers set to… Read More

Researchers at Kansas-based Engrain are working through a process that they hope will lay the groundwork for the creation of celiac-safe wheat. The study is led by Chris Miller, Engrain’s senior director of research, and will result in a comprehensive study of the wheat proteins related to celiac disease. This information could allow scientists to target the genes… Read More

In Alberta, regulations require premises identification (PID) became law under the Animal Health Act on January 1, 2009. It is thus mandatory for livestock and poultry to be associated with a PID account.  It’s part of a full traceability system aimed at improving disease and emergency response. Related: Alberta Beef Producers Proposes an Additional, Non-Refundable $1 to the… Read More

It was a hectic week at FarmTech, with the RealAg crew filming all kinds of video for “Behind the Scenes” summaries of how an audio-visual crew sets up for an event of that calibre, and how the chefs manage to feed over 1700 people every day (stay tuned). As I was behind the camera for a lot… Read More

 

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