Will initiatives like verified sustainable beef and BIXS have value if Canadian cattle just get shipped south? The lower dollar is likely to see more feeder and slaughter cattle end their days on American soil and an overreliance on the U.S. market isn’t a good thing, say industry officials. But current efforts to build the
Is building the Canada beef brand worthwhile if cattle just head south?
Programs like verified sustainable beef are part of the effort to create a premium Canada brand
What’s good for producers may mean pain for meat packers
Cargill and JBS plants in Alberta need more cattle, but a low dollar makes it harder to get them and also has some negatives for feedlots
A low dollar means double trouble for Alberta’s big packers — and puts stress on feedlots, too. “In 2015, with smaller cattle numbers and bigger exports, we’re going to see some pressure on our packing plants and feedlots to stay better utilized,” said Brian Perillat, senior analyst and manager with CanFax. Despite its shrinking herd,
New website to shed light on grain prices
Edmonton — Don’t know if your local elevator is offering a good price or not? There’s an app for that. Or at least there will be once www.pdqinfo.ca is fully up and running. The new website, created by the Alberta Wheat Commission with $742,725 in federal funding, aims to give farmers timely and accurate pricing
Producers urged to test feed for ergot contamination
Last year’s wet spring has left a potential deadly legacy
Ergot-contaminated feed is on the rise and producers need to be testing to avoid poisoning their livestock. “Last year at this time, we were running 20 to 40 samples a month for ergot — we’ve had days this year where we run 40 samples, and lots of them are high concentration,” said Barry Blakley, a
Develop a pasture plan based on specific needs and weeds
Heavy seeding and a weed control strategy geared to specific pasture conditions are key for grazing consultant and rancher Graeme Finn
You can’t just let your cows loose on a piece of grass without proper planning and knowledge. “When I take over land, I assess it and see where we need to go,” grazing consultant Graeme Finn said at the recent Western Canada Grazing Conference. “If we have weed issues, then we control them with chemicals
Beef leaders strive to drive industry forward
Goals include boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent and increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent in just five years
Business gurus call them Big Hairy Audacious Goals — and now Canadian beef leaders have to figure out how to achieve the ones they’ve set for their industry. “You have to pick a place to get to,” said Trevor Atchison, co-chair of the National Beef Strategic Planning Group. “You can’t make every goal in life,
Airdrie vet aids fellow vet in Ukraine for bid to win Easi-Scan
Social media savvy and the hashtag #VoteForVadim having great success
Even though he doesn’t speak a word of Ukrainian, Airdrie vet Cody Creelman, was drawn to the online videos of Vadim Pryadko, who lives in a town called Khmelnitsky near the Polish border. “We developed a relationship,” said Creelman. “We started talking about what type of practice he was at, what kind of school he
Community comes together to save rare chickens
Poultry centre now providing community with farm fresh eggs and heritage chicks
An outpouring of community support has saved a rare — and potentially priceless — collection of heritage chickens. “It’s amazing how much the general population wants to support the chickens and how much they understand about genetic preservation,” said Agnes Kulinski, business director of the University of Alberta’s Poultry Research Centre. Two years ago, when
Canada to be site of McDonald’s sustainable beef pilot
McDonald’s is working with CCA on ambitious project to make Canada the first country to supply it with sustainable beef
McDonald’s has chosen Canada over Australia and Europe for a pilot project in its ambitious quest to serve only “sustainable beef” in its massive global restaurant empire. The exact terms of the pilot — or even a definition of sustainable — have yet to be finalized, but the fast-food giant has the backing of the
Production shortfalls and transportation woes could result in nitrogen shortage
Experts say there’s still time to close the supply gap, but farmers should be talking to their suppliers about booking their orders
Concern is mounting as transportation and production issues point to a serious shortage of nitrogen supplies this spring. “If it was April, I would be panicking,” said Brian Kenyon, director of sales and marketing with Yara Canada. However, even though nitrogen shipments to Western Canada are down by an estimated 750,000 to one million tonnes
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