If you cannot seee the above embedded audio player, Click Here This morning I talked to Martin Unrau, President of the Canadian Cattlemans Association about his recent trip to Washington, DC to lobby for the repeal of the US mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) legislation. As Martin Unrau mentions in the interview, groups like... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Johne's disease, a bacterial disease of ruminant animals, can be incredibly difficult to manage, as there is no treatment and production losses can occur even without clinical signs being present. What's more, few animals actually exhibit the wasting and diarrhea associated with infection, unless under stress. It means that for every visibly sick animal you... Read More
I sometimes feel a little bad for phosphorus. Nitrogen gets all the attention when it comes to fertility planning. Sure, most farmers are committed to throwing down a little phosphorus-rich starter fert, and, yes, nitrogen is needed in the largest quantities, but little ol' immobile phosphorus is just not getting the respect it deserves. Even... Read More
If you cannot see the above embedded audio player, Click Here Anne Wasko and Shaun Haney discuss the finalization of the JBS - XL Foods US plant purchases, why cattle packing plants cannot seems to get current, whether there could be further packing plant closures, basis outlook and the possible scenario for higher live cattle... Read More
Whether you do your own digging, subscribe to several news outlets or employ an analyst, making decisions about price direction requires a significant investment of time and effort. For many farmers, marketing and following the markets is an enjoyable part of their job. For others, it's not how they'd like to spend their time or... Read More
The number one way to manage herbicide resistant weeds is to avoid them in the first place, says Mike Saxton with Syngenta US. That said, we'd be completely remiss to say that Canada or the U.S. was in a position to avoid herbicide resistant weeds. Several species are already resistant, some of those to more... Read More
Milk, in North America at least, is very much a commodity. There is little distinction between brands or types — a 4 litre jug is a 4 litre jug and not many have a preference as to what label it carries. This is changing, however, as family size shrinks and food trends increase the push... Read More
Pulses are well-known for their nitrogen-fixing capacity but not for their competitiveness. Weed pressure can really knock back yield, a situation made worse by a thin stand or early-season disease. Two key seeding management strategies for pulses are seeding rates based on an optimal plant stand count and disease control planning. Achieving the best established... Read More
If you cannot see the above embedded audio player, Click Here Sometimes the challenges are right in front of you. Since no company has invented the "no-shell wind resistant canola trait" yet, the massive amount of wind in the fall across the west has planted a major challenge of canola volunteers for this spring. Volunteer... Read More
Developing a full understanding of antimicrobial resistance is imperative to managing its occurrence. Canada's beef industry has been studying the incidence of antimicrobial resistance in cattle for some time, but there is more work to be done. Building off this introduction on antimicrobial resistance by Dr. Reynold Bergen, this episode of the Beef Research School... Read More