With increasing scrutiny from both the public and regulators, it’s up to people involved in animal agriculture to explain how and why they use antibiotics, says a veterinary epidemiologist from southeast Saskatchewan. While media reports have been critical about antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production, Leigh Rosengren of Midale-based Rosengren Epidemiology Consulting says Canadian... Read More

Last week's announcement of a new BSE case in Canada involving a cow born in 2009 has many in the beef industry nervously watching cattle prices and fearing border closures. This is a very natural reaction based on what transpired in May 2003 —the American border closure bankrupted many and financially crippled still more ranchers... Read More

Introducing Fleckvieh genetics into holstein operations can significantly improve the strength, fertility and productive life of dairy animals, says John Popp of Big Bear Genetics. As one of the exhibitors at this year’s Canadian Dairy Xpo, Popp showcased the results of a few Fleckvieh/Holstein crosses, ranging from 50% – 87.5% Fleckvieh, as well as one... Read More

Update — Sunday, February 15th: The CFIA says South Korea has suspended imports of Canadian beef, pending further information on the confirmed BSE find. Almost 12 years after the first discovery of BSE in a domestic cow, headlines containing the acronym for the fatal neurological disease in cattle still touch a nerve among Canadian cattle... Read More

It’s an age-old question — which is the best dairy breed? Like most farming questions, the answer is rarely a simple A or B and is more likely to be a qualified “it depends,” but Elliot Currie, with the University of Guelph, headed up a project recently to try and answer the question of which... Read More

Editor's note: There is an updated story on this news here. In it, John Masswohl of the CCA remarks on whether or not this finding will significantly impact trade. As of late Friday, February 13, the age of the cow was not released publicly, but the location was — northern Alberta. As of Sunday, February... Read More