Scott Buchan sees the impact of technology whenever he’s watching his broiler chickens or looking at his hydro bills. For Buchan, who operates Buchrest Farms along with his family in Ontario’s Waterloo Region, investing in technology and innovation plays a key role in making the operation more profitable and sustainable. Buchan notes that his energy… Read More
Category: Animal Welfare
Animal care codes are an essential part of not only ensuring that best handling practices are used in barns and agricultural facilities, but they help to keep an avenue open for communication about the standards of care and welfare that animals in Canada receive right from the farmer to the end consumer. “The Code development… Read More
Dr. Colin Yates thought he had a good idea when he launched VETSon, a telemedicine platform for farm animals in 2022. The brainchild of Yates and his father, veterinarian Dr. Glen Yates, VETSon delivers livestock services using an AI-powered virtual health care platform. In this report from Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Yates tells RealAgriculture’s Bernard… Read More
Each livestock group in Canada has a Code of Practice for Care and Handling that producers must follow. These codes, guided by the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), follow a review process on a rotating schedule. Currently, the beef cattle, equine, pig, and poultry codes are being updated, and now the latest code up… Read More
How does an on-farm biodigester and 2,200 beef cattle merge to make a farm more profitable and sustainable? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Profitable Practices, Carl Frook shares how Frook Farms and Mar Creek Renewables have come together to help him manage manure, his cattle, his crops, and boost the bottom line for the family… Read More
There’s a growing problem in rural and remote areas of Ontario. A lack of large animal veterinarians is looming for the region, and the problem will only get worse without strategies to address the impending issue. Already, farmers and ranchers have identified that large distances and too few vets makes proper veterinary care expensive. Now,… Read More
Getting timely access to a veterinarian can be challenging for many livestock farmers. It’s not only a problem for Canadian farmers: a shortage of veterinarians is being felt around the globe, as farmers across the U.S., the UK, and Australia struggle to find health care for their animals, says Dr. Colin Yates, CEO of a… Read More
Dr. Kim Ominski is being honoured for her role in furthering the environmental and economic sustainability of forage-based beef cattle production systems in Canada. Ominski received the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference this week at Calgary, Alta. A researcher, professor, and acting department head at… Read More
It may be hard to believe but something as simple as a humble nose flap on a calf can turn a very stressful event — weaning — into a manageable process. That matters, because stress can have significant negative impacts on a calf and impacts the animal’s ability to adjust to new feed and new… Read More
A biosecurity and animal disease prevention company based at Guelph, Ontario has announced it’s merging with a U.S.-based company that has developed a facial recognition entry system for barns. Farm Health Guardian Ltd. and NoveTechnologies, LLC (NoveTech) say they have combined forces as of June 5, 2023, and will operate under the Farm Health Guardian… Read More