“The black flies this year are just terrible.” – MELISSA ATCHISON The hordes of mosquitoes breeding in flooded ditches and potholes may drive men mad and horses crazy, but the good news is that they don’t bother cattle much. That’s because the needle-shaped beak of a mosquito can’t penetrate the bovine’s much thicker hide, especially
Skeeters Don’t Affect Cattle
Shotgun Silage, Grazing Mixes Tested
“The quality that brings to your soil is huge. You get better water infiltration, water and nutrient holding capacity, tilth, aggregation, and all sorts of good things.” – SUSAN AINSWORTH, MAFRI On Bernie Dueck’s farm near Sidney, the crop is coming up gangbusters. That’s right, in five-acre strips, there’s a whole whack of plants emerging,
CFIA Looks To Change TB Test
The caudal fold test, which has been in use for over 100 years, may be in for a long-overdue retirement, according to CFIA senior vet Dr. Maria Koller-Jones. A new blood-screening test, called fluorescent polarization assay, or FPA-TB, was validated and approved for use in 2007 by the CFIA. Since then, it has been used
TB Testing Makes More Sense In Some Countries Than Others
“We are committed to eradicating the disease, and believe it can be done.” – DR. MARI A KOLLER-JONES Battle-fatigued ranchers on the front lines of the fight against bovine tuberculosis near Riding Mountain National Park aren’t alone in questioning whether ongoing eradication efforts are worth it. Dr. Paul Torgerson, a U. K.-born veterinarian who tested
Quiet Progress Being Made, Says MCPA Director
“We haven’t abandoned these producers.” – RAY ARMBRUSTER Alocal director for the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association says he shares the frustration of ranchers in TB Alley over the lack of progress toward bringing the disease under control. Ray Armbruster, who runs a 150-head operation just north of Rossburn, has experienced the stress producers face first
Brandon Researchers On The Hunt For Root Rot Pathogens
Studies at the Brandon Research Centre have not yet turned up fusarium graminearum in root rot pathogens affecting local peas and dry beans. Last year, researchers began looking at the possibility that the fungus responsible for fusarium head blight in wheat could infect those crops after a recent report from North Dakota discovered that the
Michigan Battles Bovine TB In Deer, Cattle
“The big issue is that we still continue to find bovine TB in whitetail deer. So, there’s that reservoir that continues to exist that isn’t getting worse or getting better and is a constant source of bacteria for our cattle.” – Daniel Grooms Although it was declared TB free in 1979, Michigan state animal health
TB Testing Blamed For Herd Health Decline
The verdant Birdtail River Valley, just south of Riding Mountain National Park, looks every bit like a rancher’s paradise. Hillsides covered with tall, straight poplar and spruce trees shelter farmhouses and outbuildings dotting the lowlands, which are separated by neatly fenced pastures filled with lush green grass. But the ranchers who have made these hills
Provincial Efforts To Help Stymied
Dr. Dale Douma, a MAFRI animal welfare program veterinarian, said he and others have met with ranchers and inspected herds in the RMEA on a case-by-case basis for a number of years free of charge, noting that a “handful” of them are experiencing health problems. His office has at times offered free lab work and
Checkowski Claims Letter From Ritz Exonerates Him
“The minister recognizes that he’s not an expert in the diagnosis of TB.” – Mari A Koller-Jones Rodney Checkowski was armed with a letter from Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz that he thought supported his case when he stood up to Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials in 2008. The letter, signed by the minister and forwarded
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