A shift in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's focus means that ranchers transporting cattle to auction, pasture or the abattoir may face increased scrutiny on the condition of the cattle they're moving. All existing regulations have remained the same, however, ranchers should expect to see CFIA inspectors actively checking on and ticketing animals under transport.... Read More
Category: Cattle
By April 1st of 2014, four diseases that affect cattle will be moved from "reportable" to "immediately notifiable" under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The change is significant in a few ways, most notably that once a disease is no longer reportable, any financial assistance in managing the disease evaporates. The four diseases are: Chronic... Read More
It’s calving season. You waited – we've delivered! Our second podcast is up and available for download! This podcast features an interview with Travis Peardon, a livestock specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, about how last year's harsh winter is still affecting ranch management. The rest of the podcast is a blur of activity,... Read More
While the fundamentals seem to hint at conditions being right for the Canadian cow herd to begin an expansion phase, it’s not happening. Cull rates of about 10% would signal ranchers building their herds; 2013 numbers will end up somewhere about 15%, a number more synonymous with liquidation than expansion. According to Brian Perillat, senior... Read More
ATB is celebrating its 75th anniversary and as a part of that they are sharing some very special memorable belt buckles. The commemorative limited edition buckles were handcrafted by Alberta native Troy Fisher. Each farmer or rancher was nominated by their regional relationship manager based on their contribution to the local community and agriculture; size,... Read More
Research out of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) suggests that radio frequency identification (RFID) tags inserted into an animal's ear cold not only require more strength to install, they are also much weaker than those installed at room temperature. These findings will no doubt be a warm message on a cold day to producers... Read More
The Beef Straw Man trio published a recommendations report at the end of December, 2013, based on the outcome of meetings held over the last year. The report signals the end of the Beef Straw Man process and provides recommendations based on three strategic priorities: industry profitability, competitiveness, and synergy and alignment. Learn More: Beef... Read More
In the battle for agriculture song parody supremacy, Derek Klingenberg has released his newest track. This time it is a spoof on the Miley Cyrus's hit Party in the USA. This new parody transforms the song into one about feeding cattle. I betcha Miley did not have this version in mind when she wrote the... Read More
We took the opportunity while at Canadian Western Agribition this year to find a different kind of farmer for our Talking to Farmers feature. It wasn't hard to round up enough cowfolk to cover some of the basics of showing cattle. And, between being asked to be filmed and starting the interview, many of the... Read More
Change is constant. The year of 2013 has brought significant changes to the market conditions for feedyard operators and ranchers across Canada. Not only have prices for fats and feeders risen, but the Canadian Dollar and feed prices have dropped lower. When you add all this up it means that margins for producers are in... Read More