Ontario Pork announced February 23, 2017, that it had confirmed the 100th Ontario case of PED (porcine epidemic diarrhea) virus. It is the first confirmed case this year. The virus was confirmed Wednesday, February 22, 2017, in a finisher barn in Haldimand-Norfolk county. No other details have been released at this time. Read more: Managing… Read More

If you’ve got cows, you likely do something like this: number of cows x days on feed = tonnes of hay/forage needed. But what if you’ve got land, but no livestock, and want to include perennial forage in rotation? Have you ever sat down and done this: number of acres x tonnes of feed produced… Read More

Recognizing irradiation as a safe and effective treatment to reduce bacteria in ground beef, Health Canada has published new regulations allowing the sale of irradiated fresh and frozen raw ground beef. The final regulations were published in Canada Gazette, Part II on February 22, and take effect immediately. Irradiation involves exposing food to low levels… Read More

In the feedlot business, as elsewhere, necessity is the mother of innovation. So when Stronks Feedlot at Picture Butte, Alta., couldn’t find software to fit its operation, they invented it. On this season of the TechTour, together with Dow AgroSciences, we’re shining the spotlight on on-farm innovations and inventions that improve efficiency and productivity. Hampered by the… Read More

Recent positive rabies cases on a few farms in Ontario’s Perth County are a stark reminder of this ever-present, reportable disease in livestock. While livestock cases of rabies are rare, it’s safe to assume the virus circulates in wildlife nearly constantly, albeit at a low level. Exposed livestock, likely from a bite, tend to exhibit… Read More

It’s time for another episode of the Beef Market Update! Shaun Haney and Anne Wasko are fresh off their trip to Nashville and they have much to discuss. Canada has agreed that they will attend the the March “post-TPP” meeting in Chile with most of the other countries minus the United States. Also invited is… Read More

Managing a feedyard used to be fairly simple. You bought the cattle, you processed the cattle, the cattle were fed, and then sold. And that process repeated itself. In 2017, this kind of lack of attention to detail is a money-losing guarantee. Collecting data and understanding what is happening in your feedyard is essential to… Read More

Ontario Ag Minister Jeff Leal was in Guelph on Wednesday to announce provincial funding for upgrades at Cargill’s beef processing plant. The province is contributing $582,000 toward a $3.5 million upgrade that will enable Cargill to produce a protein-rich animal feed ingredient using raw by-product. “By investing in technology that will support local production, we… Read More