Holy cow, if today’s devastatingly low-and-going-lower cattle prices continue for two and, possibly, three more years, will any independent cowboys even be around in 2020?

Livestock’s bleak industrial future

There’s not even a hint of light at the end of the tunnel

The more the American meat and milk sectors industrialize — via integrated contract production, fewer bigger players, machine-centred scale — the more these key parts of American agriculture resemble industry itself: commoditized products, razor-thin margins, and extended periods of steep losses. This shift from what we once quaintly called animal husbandry has also shifted economic



pigs in a pen

A combination of new additives and husbandry can replace antibiotics

Animal Health: If Scandinavian pork producers can go antibiotic free, so can Canadians, says U of M animal scientist

If you think you can’t raise a healthy pig and turn a profit without the aid of antibiotics, think again. While there is no silver bullet lying in wait to replace antibiotic growth promotants, a thoughtful mix of improved husbandry and antibiotic alternatives can prove as effective, University of Manitoba animal science professor, Martin Nyachoti