A new training and education facility built to promote Canadian beef officially opened its doors on Monday. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, joined beef industry officials for the opening of the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence in Calgary, Alberta. “Our government is proud to see this… Read More
Category: Livestock
The great thing about social media — like Twitter and Facebook — is that it provides a megaphone for farmers, a group of people who have struggled for decades to be heard by consumers. The flipside is, of course, that technology doesn’t discriminate; a megaphone for farmers is a megaphone for everybody else, too. Which… Read More
*Update on Monday, March 9th: The USDA on March 9th confirmed a second case of H5N2 avian influenza in the Mississippi flyway on a turkey farm in Missouri. Another turkey facility in Missouri has also been quarantined after preliminary tests came back positive for the virus. The first finding of the highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza virus… Read More
If you’re looking to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of Canadian agriculture, this week’s podcast runs the gamut — from seed companies collecting end point royalties to why some weeds are more prone to herbicide resistance to why McDonald’s is looking to Canada for “sustainable beef.” Here’s “This Week on Real… Read More
What if you could get a two- or three-day notice on a dairy cow going into heat? Or be alerted to an impending infection or sickness days before a cow showed signs? As Nancy Charlton, with DeLaval, explains in this interview from the Canadian Dairy Xpo, the Herd Navigator software can do just that. The… Read More
While much of the public conversation has been focused on UPOV ’91 and plant breeders rights, changes are also being made to the federal government’s Advance Payments Program now that Bill C-18 — the Agricultural Growth Act — has become law. The amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act are supposed to make cash advances… Read More
As part of McDonald’s 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability Framework, the company has commited to begin purchasing a portion of verified sustainable beef in 2016. Using principles and criteria approved by the Global and Canadian Roundtables for Sustainable Beef, the company is currently recruiting for the pilot project. “When you look at consumer data, there’s… Read More
The recent case of a BSE-positive cow found in Alberta has been traced back to a birth farm that produced another positive BSE case in 2010. In the case of that cow, the 17th detected in Canada, the animal was born in 2004, three years before the enhanced feed ban came into effect. The Canadian… Read More
From the Agricultural Growth Act receiving Royal Assent to new questions surrounding the strange case of missing quarantined heritage sheep in Ontario, there’s plenty to discuss in this week’s ag news recap. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, meteorologist Drew Lerner, McGill University’s Joe Schwarcz, Dave Solverson of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and others make it into… Read More
Adherence to testing protocols for scrapie and correct identification of an animal have been called into question during a court case involving individuals who are charged with taking and hiding quarantined heritage breed sheep destined to be destroyed as part of Canada’s scrapie eradication program. The protocols and identification in question stem from a 2009… Read More
Delegates of the Alberta Beef Industry Conference heard from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD) on the latest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) on February 20, 2015. The representatives gave an update on the case, and provided insight into the measures Canada is taking to reduce disease incidence. “The way that… Read More
Rob Meijer, president of Canada Beef Inc, gives an explanation of The RoundUp App, and some insights into the hope for future versions. Canada Beef Inc and BTI Brand Innovations have created an app to help consumers find, cook and learn about beef. Get the “Roundup App” and learn how to buy & cook delicious… Read More
Officials from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. were in Geneva this week for World Trade Organization appeal hearings on U.S. country of origin labelling (COOL) law. In the podcast below, John Masswohl of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Kelvin Heppner discuss what happens next in the dragged-out COOL dispute resolution process, including when Canada could be in… Read More
While many ranchers and producers visibly cringed at the announced positive BSE case found in northern Alberta earlier this month, the cattle markets barely seemed to bat an eye. Why was that? A rather under the weather Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, joins Real Agriculture’s Shaun Haney on this latest Beef Market Update to talk… Read More
With increasing scrutiny from both the public and regulators, it’s up to people involved in animal agriculture to explain how and why they use antibiotics, says a veterinary epidemiologist from southeast Saskatchewan. While media reports have been critical about antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production, Leigh Rosengren of Midale-based Rosengren Epidemiology Consulting says Canadian producers… Read More