Non-medicated livestock feed and supplement company Jefo has announced its plans to build a new, 200,000 square foot production plant in the Théo-Phénix Industrial Park at Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The construction of the facility is valued around $30 million, and will be built on land acquired last year adjacent to other Jefo Group facilities, which include a transportation company, a trans-shipment… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) this week offered an update to the bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) case found in British Columbia late last year. The disease was found in the southern interior region of the province on October 26, 2018, and was announced publicly in November 2018. The investigation is on-going, says CFIA, and the agency… Read More
The news The federal government has announced $1.5 million in funding to support animal health and disease surveillance in the hog sector. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) will use the funds to adopt a virus detection system to support animal health. Funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriAssurance Program, the virus detection system will enable… Read More
Costco Wholesale announced it is updating company animal welfare standards to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in its meat and poultry supply chains. Announced earlier this week on the same day as McDonald’s own policy commitment, Costco’s new direction follows similar lines to the seller of Big Macs. “Our policy is to limit… Read More
McDonald’s has announced a new policy aimed at reducing the overall use of antibiotics important to human health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), across its global beef supply chain. According to the WHO, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. McDonald’s says instituting… Read More
The Ontario government is proposing changes to the previous government’s recent overhaul of the rabies immunization rules as they apply to livestock headed to agricultural fairs. Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, says the proposed amendments to the Health Protection and Promotion Act are intended to reduce “unnecessary red tape and… Read More
New research suggests significant savings to pork producers from screening boars for a genetic abnormality that causes prenatal piglet death and smaller litters. When the test for chromosome translocation in Canada was developed five years ago at the University of Guelph by professor Allan King and his team, the savings were estimated at about 3:1… Read More
In the midst of peak sheep breeding season, many farmers are faced with the tough call — do you put the rams in with the ewe lambs now, or wait until the ewe lambs are older? Like most production-related questions, the answer is: it depends. A ewe lamb that gives birth around her first birthday… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced it’s investigating a case of bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) in the southern interior of British Columbia. Dr. Debbie Barr, director of animal health, welfare & biosecurity division CFIA, says the mature cow was sent to a slaughter house on Oct. 26, 2018. Post mortem examination showed signs… Read More
In order for Canada to best meet the domestic demand for lamb, sheep farmers have to manage the sheep flock to lamb out-of-season. It’s very possible with careful management of ewes, certainly, but many farmers may be surprised to learn that ram management can have a significant impact on out-of-season success. For those aiming for… Read More
“Brutal” is just one word being used to describe some of the corn coming off in Ontario. While yields are good, a perfect storm of disease-inducing conditions at and following pollination has left a chunk of the 2018 corn crop riddled with myctoxins, most notably vomitoxin. “There is still lots of good corn in Ontario,”… Read More
When it comes to connecting with other farmers and researchers, there’s no substitute for being there. Just consider attendance at events such as Crop Connect in Manitoba or Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Ontario, and that’s clear. But when producers can’t physically be at an event because they’re tied up with their herd, they can… Read More
A case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was found in Scotland this past week, in the area of Aberdeenshire. This is the first time of a recorded case of BSE in the UK since 2015. Back then, there was a case found in Wales. “I have activated the Scottish Government’s response plan to protect our… Read More
A family succession plan for a lasting impression on the cattle industry is one of the reasons J.C. (Jack) Anderson and his daughter, Wynne Chisholm, have donated a 19,000-acre cattle ranch operation worth more than $44 million dollars to the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM). The university calls the gift “transforming,” and will… Read More
Genetically modified tobacco has proven successful in helping reduce potentially fatal post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. The tobacco contains a protein called FaeG, derived from a bacteria called F4 enterotoxigenic E.coli . This protein prevents pathogenic E. coli, the causal agent of post-weaning diarrhea, from taking hold in piglets’ small intestines. The genetically modified tobacco is… Read More