Are we finally seeing signs of expansion in the Canadian beef herd? If you dig deep enough into Canadian cattle inventory report published by Statistics Canada last week, you might just be inclined to answer yes. The twice-a-year report showed total cattle and calf numbers across the country on January 1 were up just 0.3... Read More
Category: Livestock
There's a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with President Obama running tight on time and the frontrunners in the race to replace him — Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Cruz — voicing their opposition to the proposed trade deal. Both the U.S. and Japan, due to the size of their economies, must be part... Read More
What did you do on your most recent vacation? Ski? Go south? Binge-watch Netflix? Not Dr. Paula Menzies. She spent her vacation writing the final chapters of a book…on udder health for dairy goats. It wasn’t especially relaxing. And it won’t end up being a best seller on Amazon or Chapters. But the book, released... Read More
A new canola trait launched by Dow AgroSciences this week has the potential to expand the market for canola meal and change rations used for hog and poultry production. After 15 years of research, Dow has developed canola that yields canola meal with significantly higher protein content — a product more comparable to soybean meal... Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay was in Calgary on Wednesday to announce almost $2.6 million for developing markets for Canadian beef cattle genetics. The Canadian Beef Breeds Council will use the funding to "implement a market development strategy, attend international trade shows and lead missions to raise awareness of Canadian beef genetics," focusing on key... Read More
Twenty charges were laid yesterday in the case of a Chilliwack dairy where employees were filmed abusing animals by an undercover Mercy for Animals activist in 2014. “On June 2, 2014 the BC SPCA received an undercover video that showed employees at Chilliwack Cattle Sales using chains, canes, rakes, their booted feet and their fists... Read More
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay announced a $1 million investment in genomic technologies for the cattle sector today. "Canada's beef sector contributes significantly to the country's economy," said Minister MacAulay. "Investments in genomic testing offer producers a science-based approach to improve the selection of beef breeds for improved productivity and quality." The funding... Read More
The Beef InfoXchange System or "BIXS" aims to add value to the Canadian cattle industry by improving communication and feedback between each link in the beef value chain. It was originally launched by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association in 2009, and in 2014 CCA partnered with ViewTrak Technologies to privatize the system. Now, another milestone announcement... Read More
Barley is a staple of the summer countryside in many parts of Western Canada. Whether it's Alberta beef or a cold Big Rock Traditional Ale, barley plays a major role in the value chain of food and beer production in the west. Even with all those tasty benefits of barley production, barley acres are under... Read More
The BIXS beef information platform has signed a deal with one of the biggest data-holders in Canada's beef industry. Cargill — one of the country's two largest beef packers — has agreed to provide beef carcass information to the rest of the supply chain through the online data exchange. "Carcass data has been a major... Read More