A new mobile app from Newmarket, Ontario-based Dairy Quality Inc. is turning iPhones and iPods into microscopes for dairy farmers. The company’s new Dairy Health Check device includes milk sampling slides that plug directly into the phone. This, combined with somatic cells count (SCC) and ketosis testing apps that analyze the samples, turn the phone... Read More
Category: Livestock
$16.7 million has been set aside for an AgriRecovery program to help cattle producers in Alberta affected by the bovine TB quarantine. While Alberta's Treasury Board has yet to approve the funding, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the dollar figure in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The "2016 Bovine Tuberculosis Assistance Initiative" will... Read More
The scope of the bovine TB investigation centred in southeast Alberta continues to grow. Here's what we know so far: As of Monday, over 22,000 head of cattle are now quarantined on around 40 premises. Most of the 40 quarantined locations are in Alberta, with no more than five in Saskatchewan. The number of premises... Read More
For farmers and ranchers looking to "tell their story," it doesn't get much bigger than working with an advertising giant like McDonald's. The fast-food company's commercials and billboards are literally everywhere. Since launching the "Not Without Canadian Farmers" campaign in late 2015, McDonald's Canada has focused part of its media spotlight on Canadian agriculture, aiming... Read More
Agribition is about a lot of things — every year the event hosts cattle shows, sales, a tradeshow, and even live entertainment. Ultimately, though, Agribition is all about the ranchers. With the help of the Agribition newsroom staff, Shaun was able to gather up a panel of purebred cattle breeders to discuss the industry, the... Read More
President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to spend part of his first day in the Oval Office issuing a notification of intent to withdraw the U.S. from the "potential disaster" that is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump has spoken in favour of bilateral deals, and possibly got a jump on one with Japan by meeting Prime... Read More
In 1971, John Willmott was a cattle producer in southern Ontario and director for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto when he was invited to judge cattle at a new event called Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. Fast forward 45 years, the 83-year-old Willmott has been involved in Agribition in some way every year... Read More
Whether producing award-winning newscasts or producing Canada's largest livestock show, the process behind the scenes is similar, says the new CEO of Canadian Western Agribition. Chris Lane joined Agribition in July after working as a senior news producer for CBC in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Maritimes. "It's really about people," he explains, as we chatted... Read More
With the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) tuberculosis investigation ongoing and no clearly-defined ending in sight, concern is rising for the ranches involved. Currently, compensation only exists if animals need to be destroyed. At the Agriculture Committee meeting in Ottawa this week, it was made very clear that the status quo is going to leave... Read More
Heifers are the keystone to improving your herd in the long-term. Carefully selected heifers result in a more productive cow herd, but you've got to have clearly defined goals and selection criteria to get there. In this Beef School episode, Dr. John McKinnon, professor with the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Beef Industry Chair, outlines... Read More