A cow who is uncomfortable or, worse, in pain, won't just produce less milk, she's also less likely to get back in calf. It may seem simplistic, but solid research shows a definite and measurable link between foot and leg health and reproductive health. Dr. Renaldo Cerri, with the University of British Columbia, spoke recently... Read More
Category: Livestock
Just because an animal does not overtly display discomfort, doesn't mean they don't feel any. This is true of prey animals — like cattle — where displaying pain may make them an easy target for predators. Because of this, it can be difficult to gauge how painful some procedures may be on animals. That said,... Read More
2013 is a big year for 4-H Canada, as it's the year the organization marks 100 years of "learn to do by doing." Started in Roland, Manitoba, so very long ago, 4-H's particular style of teaching young farm kids about everything from animal husbandry to woodworking has evolved in recent years to include instruction for... Read More
Anne Wasko and Shaun Haney discuss the latest in the Canadian cattle and beef industry. Last week fed prices were positive which put a smile on the face of feed yeard owners but the corn market raced higher on Monday which seemed to circumvent the better mood. The issue has been the anecdotal calf losses... Read More
In 1998, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association brought forward a petition to Health Canada to amend regulations so that irradiation of ground beef could be used in Canada. The scientific review proving the safety and efficacy of the bacteria-killing process was completed by Health Canada. The petition moved to step one of a two step process... Read More
It's already cost the Canadian hog industry a billion dollars, but Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, is not done with hurting the hog industry just yet. At least that seems to be the conclusion drawn from the USDA's proposed "amendments" to the requirement to meet the WTO's 2011 ruling. As RealAgriculture.com has reported before,... Read More
There are some big shifts in technology that happen that force you to move into the future. Look at television. The shift to digital forced a lot of old stalwarts to take a drive into town and look at some options or risk missing Hockey Night in Canada. Being content with rabbit ears was no... Read More
When the news broke that JBS was going to buy the XL Foods Lakeside plant after the fall 2012 ecoli crisis, many were relieved that a buyer had stepped up. The plant going dark was a much worse scenario for local cattle feeders. Now that the plant deal has closed we thought it would actually... Read More
How do you view milk in your household? Do you lump it together with other beverages like juice, soda, coffee, tea? When do you drink it? Why do you drink it? What informs those decisions in your home? That's a relatively small set of questions, but important ones as the dairy industry looks at how... Read More
Don't let the rather diminutive size of the Lely Vector TMR fool you. This rather compact unit is designed to deliver frequent, precise dairy rations tirelessly for herds of between 220 and 300 cows, depending on the ration mix. The Vector unit works on its own as a robotic system completed by the Lely feed... Read More