Cattle feeding does take a true cast iron gut at times. Whether it is dollar exchange, feed costs or external political factors, the volatility in all the profit and loss variables is enough to drive you mad. In this weeks Beef Market Update Anne Wasko and Shaun Haney discuss the beef markets and how the… Read More
Category: Livestock
Ask Francisco Rodriquez a question about dairy robots and he’ll tell you about people. With more than 38,000 robots milking cows on 19,000 farms around the globe, the technology is becoming ubiquitous throughout the dairy business. But what does it mean for dairy producers as technology revolutionizes the traditional daily milking grind? “The future in… Read More
Today the Alberta Government released its budget and there were some casualties for agriculture. In an effort to cut costs and internalize much of the agency work that has been spun out to third-party boards, the Alberta Livestock Meat Agency had its funding cut. Other boards, commissions and agencies that will be impacted are: Alberta Grains… Read More
Have you ever been to Picture Butte? It is the feedlot capital of Canada. Picture Butte and Lethbridge County are the largest cattle feeding area in Canada. I have lived in the Picture Butte area my entire life. It comes with a butte that no longer exists, a shut down sugar factory that now stores… Read More
The evolution of the Canadian Dairy XPO continued last week as the Stratford, Ontario-based dairy industry event moved to April and unveiled its new We Cover Cow Coliseum. General Manager Jordon Underhill was joined by a host of stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the permanent 440′ x 72′ Cow Coliseum located on… Read More
Walking through the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar tradeshow for the first time felt a bit reminiscent of my first day on the job. I was equally overwhelmed and intrigued by all the new faces and unrecognizable products. But, when I spotted Cargill’s booth (a no doubt familiar logo) in conjunction with a CowSignals display, I had to stop… Read More
Would consumers watch a farming reality TV show? The ‘Incredible’ Dr. Jan Pol thinks so. Since 2012, the 73-year-old veterinarian has starred in the popular series bearing his name on National Geographic’s NATGEO Wild channel, which features him and his family as they make their rounds tending to the needs of farm and companion animals…. Read More
Body condition scoring (BCS) is not a new tool to the livestock industry, by any stretch, but like so many other management indicators, it continues to evolve. In the last decade, researchers have learned that cows have a genetically determined “set point,” something they refer to as “Target BCS.” According to research conducted in 2007… Read More
Flax could have an important role in improving reproductive performance in dairy cattle. Research studies looking at including flax oil in dairy rations in Alberta, BC and Oregon showed “mixed results, but in all three studies we found reductions in pregnancy losses,” explains Divakar Ambrose in the interview below. Ambrose, a dairy research scientist with… Read More
The first quarter of 2016 is in the books and it’s becoming clear the last two years in the cattle market were likely outliers. “Unfortunately it’s a reminder of what normal is. 2016 is nothing like 2014 and 2015 which were really bull markets that kept running through most of both years. That’s not the… Read More
What makes a dairy farm sustainable? The definition of sustainability would suggest the future of Canadian dairy farms would rest heavily on environmental, economic and social factors. Farms need to respect the environment, make money and also reflect the aspirations of consumers and their growing awareness of animal welfare. In an era of increasing scrutiny… Read More
The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency is generally known for its work funding research and market development in the beef and pork industries, but the organization also has a vested interest in dairy. Whether its forage production, animal welfare or meat prices, dairy has more in common with other livestock industries than most recognize, says ALMA… Read More
The number of soil tests in Manitoba with phosphorus concentrations below the critical level for crop production grew by 7 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the new North American Soil Test Summary published by the International Plant Nutrition Institute. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, as well as 13 U.S. states, all saw more… Read More
They’ve built it, now it’s time to come. With the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO just two weeks away, show organizers are getting ready to unveil the new WeCover Cow Coliseum and pedestrian bridge that will connect the building to the Stratford Rotary Complex. The steel bridge will carry the more than 15,000 visitors expected to… Read More
Cows aren’t the only creatures that need to be trained to use a dairy robot. The value a dairy farm gets out of an automated system depends on all the people involved knowing how to utilize the machine’s capabilities. “That robot is doing nothing more than milking your cows,” explains Ben Smink of Lely North America… Read More