Every five years the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is reviewed, updated and re-published, an endeavour involving collaboration between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This year, those guidelines might recommend Americans change their diets for the sake of sustainability. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee held its... Read More
Category: Cattle
Livestock producers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, who faced forage shortfalls due to extreme weather events this last year, will be allowed to defer tax on their cattle sales for 2014, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. There is a list of designated regions where tax deferrals have been authorized for 2014 — see... Read More
There were roughly 95 million cattle in the United States as of July 1, 2014, a 3% drop from 2012 numbers, but that could turn around, according to John Navlinka of Sterling Marketing. “I think we’re beginning to build herds and it’s going to be slow — it’s not going to be a rapid buildup... Read More
It’s been a wild finish to a wild year in the beef market, with prices dropping off over the last few weeks from the record highs set in November. While feeder cattle futures dropped by the limit for five consecutive days in mid-December, producers should not lose sight of the fact there’s still strong fundamental... Read More
The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board will receive up to $260,000 in funding towards research into Brachyspira hampsonii and vibriosis, announced Member of Parliament Brad Trost in Saskatoon today. Brachyspira hampsonii is a newly discovered bacterium, first identified in Saskatchewan in 2009. The symptoms of infection closely resemble those of B. hampsonii and lab tests are... Read More
Dr. Stephen Koontz, of Colorado State University, is shining a light on a rather complicated, but incredibly important part of how cattle prices are currently set. Markets and marketing evolves over time, and the cattle industry is no different. Koontz says that the strong transition from a negotiated cash trade, to formula and forward pricing... Read More
Mixing alfalfa and sainfoin for a pasture stand has potential, as research scientists pointed out last week at the Western Canadian Grazing Conference in Edmonton. Sainfoin is a perennial forage legume. It was introduced to North America from Europe and Asia in the late 1800s and has since been used for both grazing and hay.... Read More
Could Johne's disease be lurking in your dairy or beef herd? It very well could be, and you'd potentially never know it, or most of your herd could be infected before you have a positive test. The same can be said for beef herds, so those of you with all types of cattle need to... Read More
On Friday, Montana state officials announced that a few thousand head of cattle had been quarantined, as a cow near the border of Yellowstone National Park has tested positive for brucellosis. Brucellosis was first introduced into North America by infected livestock brought in by European settlers. It’s a zoonotic bacterial infection with forms that affect... Read More
One of the stipulations for funding the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), was that it one day become self-sustaining, and yesterday, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association announced a step in that direction in its partnering with ViewTrak Technologies. “Partnering with industry to expand BIXS’ reach and potential has always been our vision,” said Rob McNabb, General Manager... Read More