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
Category: Western Canada
How often do you assess a dairy cow’s body condition score? Sure, you’re looking at your cows everyday, but changes like weight loss can go unnoticed exactly because you see them every day — the change may be too subtle to pick up on. Why would you want to be assessing and recording body condition... Read More
Updated 3pm CST February 16 Labour Minister Kellie Leitch says the CP Rail strike is over, as the railway and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have agreed to arbitration. The federal government was planning to table legislation on Monday that would force around 3,000 Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive engineers and conductors back to work. The members... Read More
When’s the last time you sat down and thought critically about who does each job on the farm? I mean REALLY thought about it? Certain roles typically go to certain people within a farm — dad might be the lead combine driver, or always driving the seeder, while sons and daughters may have to work... Read More
Layoffs in the oil industry and supporting sectors are leading people to look for jobs elsewhere, but agricultural employers shouldn’t rely on an influx of available labour, according to the head of an online agriculture job board. Eric Spell of AgCareers says it’s too early to say if low oil prices will help address the... Read More
Grains ended this week with not a whole bunch for the bears or bulls to love for this Valentine’s Day weekend. All prices ended Friday higher with wheat being the big winner on the day, as the market looked at some easing of geopolitical risk in Europe as positive. While there’s discussions of a ceasefire... 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
From the confirmation of a new case of BSE in Alberta to the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville to the potential for two labour strikes within CP Rail this weekend, there are plenty of news stories and events to catch up on this week. Here's the TWORA podcast for the week of February 13th,... 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