The Alberta government has shared a notice regarding emergency grazing options for ranchers and livestock producers affected by the wildfires. As part of the provincial state of emergency, the province is accepting applications for temporary grazing on vacant public lands. More information can be found by calling 310-LAND (5263.) Alberta Forestry, Parks & Tourism says… Read More
Category: Cattle
This weekend marks the 20 year anniversary of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or more commonly known as BSE, being found in an Alberta cow, leading to the historic crash in the Canadian cattle industry. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was on the front lines, and recalls the process that began with… Read More
Massey Ferguson has brought its rugged, hardworking RB Series of silage balers to North America. The machinery manufacturer rolled out the RB 4160V Classic at the National Farm Machinery Show earlier this year in Louisville, Kentucky. In this video report, Massey Ferguson marketing product specialist Lukas Dickerson notes that the RB Series has been working… Read More
Nathan Phinney, now president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was just finished university and ready to ship some fat cattle for a decent pay day when the BSE news hit. The beef producer from New Brunswick says the impact of the BSE finding in 2003 was a “crippling blow” to not just cattle prices, but… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to RealAg Radio brought to you by Pioneer Seeds Canada. On this special Thursday edition of the Farmer Rapid Fire, we’re focusing on the 20th anniversary of BSE. Host Shaun Haney is joined by: Ken Schaus of Bruce County, Ont.; Tim Oleksyn of Prince Albert, Sask.; Leighton Kolk of Iron Springs,… Read More
Imagine for a moment receiving 1,000 requests for media interviews in one single day. If you’ve ever worked as a communications contact or spokesperson for an event or group, that number should bowl you over. It’s a tidal wave of attention, and, in 2003, all those asks were of the beef industry. At the time,… Read More
The immediate impact of finding a BSE-positive cow in Alberta in 2003 was swift and brutal. Overnight, Canada’s export market evaporated and prices for cattle, especially older animals, tanked. As we look back on the decades that have followed, the longer-lasting impacts have been monumental, but not necessarily as clear. To dive in to what… Read More
It’s hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the BSE crisis struck Canada. The memories of that time still feel vivid, as if it were just yesterday. Last week’s comments from a farmer in the Maritimes about the ongoing impact of the crisis reminded me of its lasting impacts. Even after two… Read More
Update: As of May 5, 2023, there is still no definite timeline on the status of the repairs required for the Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation main canal leaks. In the interim, the board has approved for irrigation to flow from the Keho Reservoir, one inch of water for each irrigation acre, “on the basis that… Read More
This article is courtesy of the Beef Cattle Research Council, and was first published on the BCRC blog, here. Did you know that heifers take longer to start cycling after having their first calf than mature cows do? It means lining up the calving season for a cow’s second calving requires that heifers be bred… Read More
Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Sustainability Incentive Program is open to applicants in partnership with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) and McCain Foods. The program pays out incentive payments calculated on a portion of a customer’s lending with FCC if they are also participating in specific certification programs, including the CRSB certification initiative and… Read More
Alberta’s government says its Rangeland Grazing Framework recognizes the role ranchers play in managing Crown rangelands. The new framework is intended to provide clarity on how grazing fits in to integrated land management of public land leased or permitted to ranchers for grazing livestock. “Our ranchers have long been stewards of our rangelands, and their… Read More
It was 2004, less than a year after BSE hit the Canadian cattle industry, when Canada’s first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) devastated poultry production in B.C. Without any playbook on how to manage the virus, a decision was made to cull all the birds on commercial farms in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. While… Read More
Dr. Tim Henshaw never missed an opportunity to promote the Canadian dairy industry and its contribution to this country and the world. A champion for agriculture, Henshaw, a 1979 Ontario Veterinary College graduate, spent over 40 years as a veterinarian on cattle reproductive health at United Breeders, then Gencor and finally EastGen. He examined more… Read More
Four generations of innovation keeps you on your toes: and that’s exactly what Andrea Stroeve-Sawa loves about Shipwheel Cattle Feeders. In our debut episode of Profitable Practices, we head over to Taber, Alta. to shine a light on innovation and management practices Stroeve-Sawa and her family employ at their 5,500 head feedlot. Sponsored by Farm… Read More