It may be hard to believe but something as simple as a humble nose flap on a calf can turn a very stressful event — weaning — into a manageable process. That matters, because stress can have significant negative impacts on a calf and impacts the animal's ability to adjust to new feed and new... Read More
Category: Animal Welfare
A biosecurity and animal disease prevention company based at Guelph, Ontario has announced it's merging with a U.S.-based company that has developed a facial recognition entry system for barns. Farm Health Guardian Ltd. and NoveTechnologies, LLC (NoveTech) say they have combined forces as of June 5, 2023, and will operate under the Farm Health Guardian... Read More
The road back to profitability for the pork sector is likely long and difficult as Canadian producers continue to face a troublesome combination of declining domestic demand, fewer opportunities in export markets, and the spectre of tougher U.S. animal welfare regulations that could drive prices lower. It all adds up to tough times for pork... Read More
Can the production rules of one state wag the (curly) tail of pork trade for an entire country? If the state is California, the answer is: it's possible. Prop 12, first passed in the state in 2018 and then upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this week, sets out space requirements for livestock in production... 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
Misinformation is nothing new. Humans have been stretching the truth since the beginning of time, but the growing amount of misinformation generated today and the speed at which it moves is one of the defining issues of our time, says academic and author Dr. Timothy Caulfield. As a member of the University of Alberta's Faculty... Read More
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) has released the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. Canada’s Codes of Practice provide guidance for the care and handling of farm animals, and are used as educational tools, reference materials for regulations, and the foundation for industry animal care assessment programs.... Read More
The popularity of robot milkers continues to grow dramatically across Canada. Today, between 15 and 20 per cent of Canadian farms milk cows using robot technology. Ten years ago, that number hovered near five per cent. Western Canadian dairy farmers are the biggest adopters with between 25 and 50 per cent of farms in different... Read More
Pricing structure, insurance options, and cattle movement are all top of mind for Alberta's cattle feeders. Janice Tranberg, president of the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association (ACFA), sat down with RealAgriculture's Kara Oosterhuis at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference last week to talk about what ACFA is focused on for 2023. Tranberg says that the last... Read More
The cost of food, fuelled by inflation levels not seen in decades, is the top "life" issue concerning Canadians. That's the headline emerging from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) 2022 public trust research report, released during the organization's annual summit in Toronto this week. The 2022 findings illustrate that the cost of food... Read More