This blog post is one I was hoping not to have to write. In Canada, there was recently an “investigative report” on the commercial egg industry. It developed after an animal activist group took undercover footage and passed an edited video to a television newsmagazine. The resulting 30 minute show was a black eye to... Read More
Category: Livestock
To say the hog industry in Canada has struggled in recent years would be kind. Consolidation, low to negative margins, labeling requirments from the U.S. and a moratorium in Manitoba have weighed heavily on the industry. So it's not a surprise that Friday's announcement of a signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the... Read More
The former Ontario government, headed up by Dalton McGuinty, pulled the rug out from under the horseracing industry this past spring in what can only be called a very premature effort to move slot machines to a Toronto-area casino (or so the most reputable theory goes). Just how premature was the move? Well, there is,…Read More
Who can complain about $1,000 calves, lower feed prices and actual positive feeding margins? Well maybe cash croppers..... It is starting to look like it is the beef producers turn to make some money in this economic tug-of-war. But wait, there are some issues standing in the way of profits and smooth sailing. As Anne... Read More
If you have cows, you're no stranger to traditional weaning tactics and you've also likely heard of both fence-line and nose-flap weaning. Calves weaned in both manners have been shown to walk less, eat more and call less than their traditionally-weaned counterparts. Reducing stress doesn't end with one magical weaning strategy, however. It's best to…Read More
The Beef Farmers of Ontario, formerly the Ontario Cattlemen's Association, has launched its new name, look and website, a change decided on this past February at the annual general meeting. "Given the changing dynamics and expectations of our industry, we see the change in name as an opportunity to not only build on, but to... Read More
The devastating early blizzard that shut down parts of South Dakota last week is a harsh reminder of how we're at the mercy of the almighty Mother Nature. As several news outlets are now reporting, the number of cattle who have died or are missing tops the 100,000 mark. Similar to the wicked spring snowstorm... Read More
When you've got many hungry mouths to feed, efficiency counts. And while a big tractor or TMR mixer may help, the process of creating rations and feeding cattle can be made faster and more efficient through the use of a piece of equipment engineered specifically for the task at hand. The Faresin Ecomdoe self-loading TMR…Read More
The battle of the new MCOOL rules continue to raise concerns on both sides of the border. Groups like NCBA, AMI, CCA and more are battling the US Government in its quest to make MCOOL a long term reality. Obviously with the US government shut down the last two weeks, nothing is happening. MCOOL seems... Read More
There are hormones in your food! What’s worse, they are in you! Alarmed yet? You shouldn't be, and I'll tell you why, plus why I'm done with marketing gimmicks and done with A&W Canada. Yes, there are hormones in your food, but are they something to fear? A&W certainly thinks so, with a new campaign... Read More