The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will be implementing a surveillance plan in an effort to be prepared when it comes to African swine fever (ASF). The program will function in full force spring of 2019. ASF is a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting both domestic and feral (wild) pigs. It… Read More
Corn, wheat, barley — you know starch is an essential component of cattle diets, but do you know why? Is wheat an easy swap out for barley in a ration? Is it worth buying steam-flaked corn? In this episode of the Beef School, Karen Beauchemin, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, lays out what… Read More
Canadian tech start up company Transport Genie Ltd., along with researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), have received funding to move forward with phase three of a multi-year research project aimed at improving biosecurity within swine transport, including transport trailers. The funding, not disclosed in the news release, comes from the Swine… Read More
Several Ontario producer groups and at least one lawyer are sounding the alarm on animal rights activists getting off scot-free in the province. Livestock producer groups are speaking out after a court decision this week to drop charges against an animal rights activist who recorded her trespassing on a Lucan-area hog farm multiple times in… Read More
The Canadian dairy industry has made great strides in cow comfort over the past 20 years. It’s a story EastGen genetics veterinarian Dr. Tim Henshaw feels all dairy farmers should be actively telling all friends, neighbours ,and consumers within earshot. From mats and bedding for cows to lie on, to adequate stall space and better… Read More
Lameness can have a significant impact on a dairy cow’s health, longevity, and productivity. Are dairy farmers doing a better job preventing lameness on their farms than they have in the past? What risk factors can producers better manage to reduce lameness on their farms? Those are questions University of Calgary graduate student Michelle van… Read More
Reproduction performance on Canadian dairy farms is getting better but there’s still room for improvement. That’s the message Mark Cason, EastGen Genetics reproductive solutions manager, shared with producers attending the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar at Red Deer, Alta., earlier this month. Carson’s insights are based on analysis of CanWest DHI herds greater than 150 cows from… Read More
The countdown to the seventh annual Canadian Dairy XPO is on as the dairy industry showcase readies to open its doors at the Stratford Rotary Complex on April 3rd and 4th. Show attendance topped 16,000 in 2018 and more than 350 exhibitors representing 40 countries will set up this year to feature the latest dairy… Read More
Ottawa has announced up to $31 million in funding to aid in the prevention of African swine fever (ASF) ending up in Canada. The funding will be used to add twenty-four detector dog teams over a span of five years at border and customs crossings. This will bring the total amount of detector dog teams… Read More
Researchers in Ontario are working on establishing safe use guidelines for meloxicam, a pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication, in grain-fed veal production. The product is currently approved for use in dairy and beef cattle, but not for veal as there is no established withdrawal interval. Two University of Guelph professors, Dr. Ron Johnston and Dr. Dave… Read More
Masterfeeds, an Alltech company, has announced that Mark Bodenham will take on the role as general manager for Ontario. Peter Peacock, who has been with Masterfeeds since 2012, will retire from the role effective March 22, 2019. Bodenham joined Masterfeeds in 2013 after 26 years in monogastric sales and sales management. The company says he… Read More
The National Farm Animal Care Council is digging in and forging ahead on one brand new livestock Code of Practice plus significant revisions on three more: goats for meat, fibre and dairy, dairy cattle, and livestock and poultry transport. Jackie Wepruk is the general manager of NFACC, and says that opening each of these codes… Read More
On Monday, Alberta Pork released a correction to its announcement from last week about a third and fourth case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv). The third case, announced in the early afternoon on Friday turned out to be a false positive; however, the fourth case, announced in the evening still stands meaning there’s now three… Read More
The Government of Canada has published revisions to the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR). The regulations come into force one year from publication, on February 1, 2020. While the advent of revamped regulations is not unexpected — there has been a significant amount of consultation on the proposed changes — the timing of the final… Read More
In August of last year Art Shaap’s life and livelihood changed in a heart beat. It was then that the owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, started dumping 15,000 gallons of milk each day because his animals and seven of his 13 wells had been contaminated with runoff from the nearby Cannon Air… Read More