Gabriel Ribeiro has been named as the new Saskatchewan Beef Industry Chair at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). Ribeiro steps in to the role following John McKinnon’s retirement. Prior to becoming the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Chair, Ribeiro was an assistant professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. Originally from Brazil,… Read More
Livestock feed company, Trouw Nutrition Canada (Shur-Gain) will complete its purchase of Yantzi Feed & Seed Ltd. early next mont. The acquisition includes Yantzi’s feed manufacturing, grain storage, crop input facility and retail store at Tavistock, Ont., the grain elevator on Line 29 North East of Tavistock and the retail store and crop input business… Read More
Ontario’s government has released its proposed animal welfare model to replace the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) Act. Earlier this year, the OSPCA informed the province it would no longer carry out animal welfare enforcement in the province, necessitating a revamp of the current animal welfare enforcement model and rules…. Read More
The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) met in Ottawa for three days last week to tackle industry challenges, including the advent of African swine fever (ASF) overseas. Gary Stordy, director of government and corporate affairs for the CPC, says the meeting was very productive and much needed, especially in light of ASF. “The industry is not… Read More
While parts of Canada may have been looking for change, the move to a Liberal minority likely won’t change dairy producer priorities. “I would say it’s fairly status quo for us,” says Murray Sherk, Dairy Farmers of Ontario. “We work with whatever party (is) in power. We have good relationships with the Liberal Party…and they… Read More
The United States Department of Agriculture has released its October 2019 edition of the U.S. Cattle on Feed report which showed cattle on feed down one percent in comparison to a year ago as of October 1. According to Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, “There were no real surprises in the numbers this… Read More
The Canadian government may have seen some change after the election, but to producer organizations like the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), it doesn’t change the fact that they need to be at the table, working with whomever else is there. “I think it’s about what was expected, and as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, we work… Read More
The beverage landscape has changed remarkably in recent decades. In the 1970s, milk competed with three beverages — soft drinks, coffee, and juice. But today, consumer taste and choice knows no limits, whether it be sparkling juice, fusion drinks, pea protein drinks, cold brew coffee, or drinkable yogurt, the beverage list keeps growing. Can milk… Read More
Robotics are changing the dynamics of dairy businesses, and co-evolving along with them. “Today, conventional dairies spend 50-60 per cent of the total labour on the physical act of milking cows, (and) only 10 to 20 per cent on feeding cows, five to 10 per cent on health, and the other 10 per cent on… Read More
Ryan Greir, a sheep producer from Alberta, has been named as the chair for the National Sheep Network (NSN). Greir is currently the vice-chair of Alberta Lamb Producers, and farms just east of Strathmore with his wife Janna and young son. The NSN represents Canada’s top three lamb producing provinces —Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec —… Read More
Air travel can be a lot like livestock transport: it involves limited personal space, noisy neighbours, and the odd smelly odour coming from the row in front of you. Although farmers handle cattle with great care, livestock transport isn’t what most want out of people transport. In a new commercial WestJet pokes some fun at… Read More
Charges have been laid in the September long weekend activist protest at a rural Alberta turkey barn. In the morning hours of September 2, protesters gathered along the highway adjacent to the Jumbo Valley Colony turkey barn near Fort MacLeod, Alta., some of whom entered the barn illegally. RCMP were called to the scene around… Read More
One of the most important metrics in improving profitability and productivity (not to mention animal welfare, and arguably, environmental stewardship) is feed quality. In this episode of the Beef School, Leland Fuhr, DairySmart Nutrition and BeefSmart Consulting, provides tips on everything from sampling winter feed to analyzing the results. After all, as Fuhr says, “you… Read More
Following a meeting with Producteurs de lait de chèvre du Québec (Quebec goat milk producers), Agropur Cooperative has announced it will move forward with its plan to close a Quebec goat milk plant in March, 2020. Talks with producers who supplied the plant began about a year ago. Agropur says it worked on alternatives to… Read More
While futures markets may be taking a bit of a breather, beef markets are holding strong, with trade into the U.S. and Japan up as well. “Well certainly markets in the U.S. have still been on an up-trend on the cash side,” says Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, in this episode of the… Read More