Photo: File

Bird flu spreads to California dairy cows

Cows at three dairy farms in California tested positive for H5N1 bird flu at the end of August, marking an expansion of the virus into the largest dairy producing region of the United States, according to an announcement from the state’s agriculture department. More than 190 herds have been infected across the U.S. since March,


Cheryl Waldner, a professor and researcher with the University of Saskatchewan, calls bovine respiratory disease one of the most important causes of sickness and death loss in beef cattle.

Antibiotic resistance in weaned calves a rarity

Western Canadian study finds resistance in only two per cent of sampled calves

If a new piece of western Canadian research is any indication, few weaned calves ready for the feedlot are carrying medication-resistant passengers. The project was focused on bacteria and viruses that can contribute to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). It found antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in just two per cent of sampled calves from 27 herds throughout

Wild boar photographed in a forest in Germany.

Where the wild pigs roam

German wild pig study shows how far they travel and the lengths they go to keep moving

Glacier FarmMedia – Their names are Rudiger, Dietmar and Cindy, and they have a lot to teach about wild pig movement patterns. The three eastern German wild boar were tracked far from where they were first spotted and tagged. None were fazed by natural barriers that would put off other animals. Dietmar, for example, tended

LeeAnn Peters of Maple Leaf Foods speaks at the 2024 Swine Seminar in Winnipeg.

Detective work solves swine sickness mystery

Maple Leaf official recounts challenges faced while trying to put a stop to a Streptococcus zooepidemicus outbreak

Glacier FarmMedia – When a multiplication pig barn came down with a Streptococcus zooepidemicus outbreak in March 2019, Maple Leaf Foods staff scrambled to figure out what it was and how to treat it. At first, they dealt with it as suggested by worldwide veterinary authorities. Believing the gilts were over the illness, they were sent into four sow


“These projects and the knowledge that we’re aiming to achieve through this research will contribute to the bottom line of pork producers and processors and will also build in Canada’s global leadership in pork production.” – Daniel Ramage.

PEDv vaccine among funded research projects

$10.6 million earmarked for pork research

A vaccine for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and antimicrobial alternatives will be among the hog industry research projects supported by recently announced federal cash. “These projects and the knowledge that we’re aiming to achieve through this research will contribute to the bottom line of pork producers and processors and will also build in Canada’s

Biosecurity is among the daily defences pushed within the industry against diseases like African swine fever.

The financial chink in Canada’s African swine fever armour

Industry says ‘Day 1’ farmer compensation mechanisms need to be more robust

If African swine fever (ASF) arrives in Canada, a lot of things will happen. Response plans will be implemented. Quarantines will be imposed and animal movements locked down. Biosecurity will ramp up to crisis levels. Information and updates will flow between federal and provincial chief veterinary offices and the industry. Further from ground zero, zoning

If a person can get into the barn, so can a virus or bacteria.

Load out risky time for hog farm

Load out can open door for infection in a barn

Glacier FarmMedia – What if the truck driver asks to enter the hog barn to use the bathroom? Does the operation have a protocol for that? That’s a question asked of Dr. Julia Keenliside at the Manitoba Swine Seminar. “Everybody’s got to work out what your procedures are, because that happens,” said Keenliside, an Edmonton-based


Mule deer have made up the bulk of Manitoba chronic wasting disease cases.

First CWD case found in central Manitoba 

Province’s confirmed cases up to 26

The province has its first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) outside of western Manitoba. On Jan. 24, the province announced that a hunter-submitted tissue sample from a female white-tailed deer near Winkler in south-central Manitoba had tested positive for CWD. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion disease in the same family as BSE,

Seventeen new cases of CWD were identified during the 2022-23 hunting season.

CWD testing backlog continues

Wait times for test results are as long as four weeks... and counting

Despite changes to streamline the process, hunters can once again expect lengthy wait times for chronic wasting disease test results. “The program is currently experiencing a two-to-four-week wait time, but the department anticipates that will increase given the expected influx of samples being received,” said a provincial spokesperson in an emailed statement. CWD is an